Curses and Consequences
by Calchexxis
Summary: The sequel to At Sugarcube Corner, Twilight must face the curse as it resurges, taking on a more terrible power than ever before as Ponyville is separated from all possible aid.
1. Prologue

"_Our sins forever watch us, reminding us of our failings, reminding us of our fallibility, Celestia help us if they ever stop._"

I'm the last one left, I don't know where my friends are, I don't even know if they're alive. I guess I'm putting this down because I don't really know any other way to make sense of the things that are happening. It all started after the events that occurred at Sugarcube Corner, we all made it out alive, I'm not even sure the curse that started it was trying to kill us in the first place, just torment us. At first everything seemed ok, but it wasn't, I don't think it ever was or ever will be again. Princess Celestia was right, I am more powerful than her, but that's not a good thing, when Rainbow and Pinkie died down in that place something happened to my mind, something terrible. In my grief I created something more or less real, I tapped a place that was left to rot on the boundaries of nightmare for a reason, and now all of Equestria may pay the price. No one pony should have that kind of power. I considered ending it all, ending the threat I pose with my own hooves, but it's too late, it would just be a futile gesture of cowardice. No, if I'm going to honour my friends then, dead or alive, I've got to find a way to deal with this. I have to stop this, otherwise all will be lost. I miss you Princess, I wish you were here now to tell me what to do, but you're not and it's my fault, I have to get us out of this, and pray that you're still in a place I can reach if I do.

I guess I should start at the beginning; I've already recorded the sequence of small events that led to this, now I have to record the Event itself. The beginning is a little fuzzy, there were tiny hints and signs, small things that anypony might brush off as being the whispers of a slightly bent mind, Celestia knows we all fit that category after what happened. I think it was more than that though, the first hint I think I saw was several days after we escaped from the curse, Fluttershy came by for tea but she seemed distracted, she brought me a journal that the Doctor in Trottingham told her to start. She said that there was something wrong with it; she opened it to a certain page covered in strange scribbles I flipped through it and found several more, this scared her, she said they hadn't been there when she'd put the book in her saddlebags to come here. They didn't mean anything to me though. Now I wonder if I should've looked closer.

Terrible things have happened here in Ponyville. It's only by placing quill to paper now that I sustain any semblance of sanity I think. In doing this I remind myself that what happened was real, as unbelievable as it seems now, sitting here in the ruins of my one-time home. I wonder now if anypony will read this, if anypony will be left to read this, and whether or not they'll even believe it. Hopefully not, if they're lucky they'll pass it off as the diseased ramblings of a broken mind. Maybe I'll make it through this though. If I do, I think I'll keep this someplace safe, it will be a reminder of what I'm capable of, and what I must always be vigilant for.

The next sign was the disappearances, ever since Pinkie Pie died they stopped but about ten days after we got back they began again, except the ponies didn't stay gone, they would vanish for several hours or sometimes for a full day then reappear, disoriented and always bearing strange marks, a scar or something usually that had obviously not been there before. Always they couldn't remember where it had come from. I first noticed it with Rarity, she seemed to be doing alright but I discovered later that she'd almost entirely stopped sleeping except for the few times when she would pass out in her living room in a drunken haze. Now I know the truth, I suppose it's a kind of obvious in hindsight but then, isn't everything?

Ever since the things that happened at Sugarcube Corner I've never really felt safe. It always felt like I was being watched, even now I feel like if I were to edge my vision to the periphery I would see a shadow standing there, watching me. It's a side effect of the Event though; all the ponies began to feel it near the end, even those that hadn't vanished and reappeared. I suppose in a way we were being watched, who knew a place like that even existed, I think Scootaloo said it best, 'it's where all the bad stuff goes'. I wish I could apologize to her; I still hold out hope that I can find her, along with all the others. Big Macintosh said he'd take care of the Crusaders, I know at least that he's still alive, he promised me he would be, and everypony knows if there's a pony more honest than Applejack, it's her big brother. He wouldn't let me down, I know he wouldn't.

I suppose I've rambled long enough, it's time for me to get down to business and start telling my story. I need to tell everypony what happened here in Ponyville, I need them to know why the Element of Laughter's mind broke, why the Elements of Harmony grew dark in Ponyvilles most desperate hour. I need them to know what happened. One day I might be forgiven for the things I've done, even though I didn't know it when I did it, it was my power that tainted the Elements, it was my magic that broke the seal, it was my madness that brought about the curse. Even though it would be easy to blame it all on Him, I can't. It wasn't His fault, not entirely anyway. He tricked me because it's what He does, I'm the foalish pony who fell for it. I'm the pony who, in my pride and arrogance, tried to use the Elements for selfish and dissonant reasons.

My name is Twilight Starla Sparkle, daughter of Orion and Starlight Sparkle and unless I'm very much mistaken, everything that you're about to read is entirely my fault.

The beginning is always a difficult place to start even if it is the most obvious. I suppose I should begin with Ponyville itself and the horror that was visited on it.

Her name was Pinkamena Diane Pie and she was, among other things, one of my best friends. Pinkamena, or Pinkie Pie to anyone who knew her, was not only my friend but the Element of Laughter, one of the six Elements of Harmony that were used to defeat both Nightmare Moon and the ancient spirit Discord. She is now the most reviled figure in the history of Ponyville, responsible for the brutal deaths of more than thirteen ponies including another of my closest friends, the pegasus Rainbow Dash. I won't go into detail about what she did exactly, sufficed to say she committed atrocities that even now I can't help but shiver when I think about. I could say that it was her actions that began all this but that's not quite fair, in truth it was me, Pinkie Pie was closer to a side effect, something I may be capable of forgiving myself for.

For the sake of simplicity I will say it was my discovering her 'workshop' that really set this spiral into motion. The curse that resulted from the mental trauma I suffered dragged my friends and I as well as Princess Luna into a nightmare realm where we were tortured and tormented by the shades of our own guilt and self-hatred. Miraculously we managed to escape, thanks to my friends and surprisingly, thanks to the shade of Pinkie Pie that was there with us turning on the other apparitions. Princess Celestia had forced a pathway open but I had to open the door from my end, it was the self-hatred of my friends and I that kept us locked in that hell and by finding some measure of forgiveness in our own hearts we were able to pry the door open and emerge back into Ponyville. It didn't end there unfortunately; we had survived the shadows of guilt, now we had to recover from the wounds that had been dealt to us. This brings us to the first signs of when things started going terribly wrong, the disappearances.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Twilight? Are you there?" a small voice interrupted my studies, it was one I'd begun listening for at least subconsciously lately since there seemed to be a lot of trouble on that end.

"I'm here Sweetie Belle, the door's unlocked, come in out of the cold," I trotted over to the door as the tiny two-tone filly let herself in and placed her crimson cape on the coat rack. "It's almost midnight Sweetie Belle, what are you doing here?"

She looked a little bashful but met my gaze all the same, "Rarity's gone again, I don't know where, I just woke up and the boutique was empty. I'm sorry Twilight, I guess I got scared being alone…"

I smiled softly for her, "I understand, well come on, let's fix you a cup of cocoa and, since you're here and awake, we can practice your magic."

The smile she wore on hearing the word 'cocoa' quickly departed to be replaced with a rolling of the eyes that would've done Rarity proud. I snickered behind my hoof as we went into the kitchen, she had been ecstatic to hear I was willing to teach her magic up until she realized exactly how hard it was to master even a basic spell like levitation. She lost her initiative for the task somewhat after four hours of head-ache inducing attempts to move a rag doll from my early years from one table to another.

"Spike? Are you awake?" I called up, a bit quietly in case he was in fact sound asleep, but loud enough that he couldn't mistake that I'd called for him if he weren't.

"Yea, yea I'm awake," I heard the sound of a slightly annoyed dragonet coming down the stairs.

"Heh, sorry Spike, but Sweetie Belle is here and I was hoping you could light the stove so we could make some cocoa, would you like some?" I said sweetly, knowing he wouldn't say no to the chocolate-y beverage he loved.

"Oh, well, sure if it's for Sweetie Belle then it's fine," he answered, suddenly moving much faster, the prospect of chocolate in the near future banishing any residual sleepiness.

Sweetie Belle seemed more perturbed than usual though, I cantered over to her and took a seat while we waited for Spike to heat the stove, "Is something wrong Sweetie Belle?" I asked tentatively, it had been a hard couple of weeks for her; Rarity wasn't recovering as quickly as I'd hoped she would and it was starting to tell on the little filly.

"I just… keep having nightmares. I don't like them, and when Rarity is gone it makes it worse," she answered softly. I felt bad although I wasn't really surprised given the things that had happened and how hard it was on Rarity. The two sisters were very close so having her older sister become so distant must've been difficult

"Do you want to talk about them?" I asked as she curled up next to me. Those words seemed so innocent at the time, if I had known the gravitas of the coming answer I think I'd have simply retreated to my bedroom and quietly dry-heaved myself to unconsciousness.

"I guess… I thought I woke up, I was in my bed and it was really dark, I went downstairs to find Rarity but when I looked in the living room I saw two ponies. One was my sister, asleep on the chair." I nodded, as she spoke I was getting a strange twitching feeling in my stomach I couldn't explain. "Who was the other pony?" I asked.

She shook her head, "I don't know, but I didn't like him… or her… I couldn't tell if it was a colt or a mare, I guess it was probably a mare since she was wearing a weird dress."

I felt my heart almost stop the instant she finished the sentence.

"Sweetie Belle… what did the dress look like?" I asked, terror gripping my lungs, I hoped against hope that the answer wasn't what I knew it would be.

"It was… I dunno… weird. It looked like it had these big folds on the back, like pegasus wings." I think I should be admired for not losing my mind right then and there.

"A-and… what was this p-pony doing?" I asked.

"Nothing" she answered, not the answer I'd been expecting.

"W-what do you mean? Nothing at all?" I egged her on for more answers.

"No, just sort of… standing there, watching Rarity sleep. I guess it wasn't really that scary now that I think about it but… something about that pony made me afraid, really really afraid, I couldn't move, I wanted to cry but I was too scared to." She went quiet for a moment before continuing, "Then I woke up, I guess, I was back in my bed… Twilight, I'm tired of having that dream, can you make it go away?"

These words made my brain lock up for a moment.

"Tired? Sweetie Belle… Have… Have you had this dream before?" I asked quietly, "It's very important that you tell me."

She nodded, "A few times, it's always the same, basically, sometimes Rarity is asleep in a different place, but that scary pony is always there, watching her."

Spike brought in the cocoa and handed Sweetie Belle a mug of steaming chocolate with a gratuitous number of marshmallows added in. I waved mine away; Spike gave me a worried look before deducing a plan.

"Hey Sweetie Belle, it's pretty late, why don't you stay here for the night? I'll make up the guest bed and you can get some sleep after you finish that." He said cheerfully, the mask he wore was very good, I had to give him credit.

She nodded, even scared she was still a tiny filly, she must've been exhausted.

Spike came back down after tucking Sweetie Belle in, gathered up a quill and ink, and sat down next to me.

"It's happening again, isn't it Twilight?" he said solemnly, I had told him everything, absolutely everything that had happened, Spike had been the main reason I had been able to recover with any degree of dignity, he was there when I woke up screaming from nightmares about phantom castles, he listened when I felt torn up by grief at what had happened. Even though he was a baby dragon he was stronger than most ponies gave him credit for. I don't know where I'd be now if not for him.

I nodded slowly at this, "I need to send a letter to the Princess, she needs to know what's going on, that it's not over."

He raised the writing paraphernalia he had gathered expectantly.

I smiled, "What would I do without you Spike?" He just smiled back and popped open the ink well.

"Alright, take this down: 'Dear Princess Celestia, Your help and advice is urgently required, Sweetie Belle just reported to me a 'dream' in which the apparition of Pinkie Pie appeared. Given that she never saw Pinkie in her 'dress' but is still able to give an accurate description of it I am forced to conclude that whatever happened at Sugarcube Corner has left its mark on Ponyville in more ways than one, please respond post-haste. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.' Did you get all that?" I asked once he was done scratching away at the parchment.

"Yea, I'll send it now." Spike belched a wave of emerald flames and the letter vanished on the wind.

Immediately the night sky lit up, a streak of light tore across the sky like a rogue star. Only when it curved over Ponyville did it turn and orient towards the Library, as it approached the lit dimmed softly until only the radiant Alicorn at its center remained, every inch the gleaming princess, yet something seemed strange, something I couldn't quite put my hoof on at the time.

"Twilight," her voice soft with affection for her student, I bowed low to my mentor and sovereign. "Princess, I don't know why or how, but it seems tha-" Celestia lifted a single hoof, cutting off my words with a silent command.

"I was afraid this might happen Twilight, we must prepare for the worst, and I do mean the very worst, if your friend's sister has truly seen what she says she has then it seems even my strongest seals and wards were inadequate for the task. I regret that I am no longer the maga I once was it seems." Celestia answered mysteriously, her voice a shallow echo rich with a sort of ageless sorrow.

"Princess? What do you mean? What seals?" at that time I hadn't an inkling though given my magical studies I should have. Not that it would have made any kind of difference I suppose.

Celestia hung her head, for all world as though she were ashamed. I had never seen this side of my teacher before, always she had been proud, strong, and sure of what to do, now I could see entirety of the weight of years levied upon her.

"Oh Twilight…" she shook her head, suddenly I noticed what had seemed off about her since she arrived, she seemed wan and faded, her coat lacked its usual luster, her main was sagging, and there were deep bags beneath her eyes. With a groan of power Celestia arched her head upwards, light cascading from her horn, the air around us displaced as she woke some great magic as a wave of power echoed across Ponyville.

"Twilight, if an ancient mare could ask one thing… would you forgive me?" Celestia asked quietly, her voice barely a whisper.

"P-princess? For what?" I asked, dumbfounded by both her tone and her request.

"I have done the only thing I can; I have sealed Ponyville behind an impregnable barrier, but in doing so I have woken what was stirring in its heart, and may very well have condemned all of Ponyville's citizens."

I felt my jaw drop open, working for a moment to find words for my questions.

"But… but it's over, it was over, we escaped…" I muttered softly, imploringly to the ancient sorceress, she only shook her head again.

"Yes, you did, but this… this was my fault, you see, the curse was terribly weakened when you defeated it, but it did not vanish. Over the weeks since you escaped it laid low, growing strong off of its only remaining source of guilt and self-blame until it became strong enough to return to its birthplace, that pit beneath Sugarcube Corner." She explained slowly as she made her way to the balcony, I trotted at her side keeping up with the powerful stride of the princess.

"But the curse lost its hold on us, it isn't feeding on any of the girls anymore and you said Luna was free from it too!" I exclaimed, desperately trying to put my hooves on any possible explanation, the princess didn't give any indication that she had heard me, instead continuing to speak.

"Twilight, you must gather the remaining holders of the Elements of Harmony, I've spent the past two weeks desperately scouring for two ponies who might be able to take up the empty Elements, you must first find the filly you know as Scootaloo, she carries Rainbow Dash's legacy in her fierce loyalty and devotion." I nodded, quickly seizing a quill, ink, and parchment to copy down the princess's instructions, she pauses afterwards and hangs her head slightly. "I'm afraid I was unable to locate a suitable pony for the Element of Laughter though, Pinkamena's sister Octavia showed some promise but she's in Fillydelphia at the moment, well outside the barrier, Twilight it is imperative that you find another pony capable of wielding the Element of Laughter."

I nod solemnly before a question enters my mind, "Princess, your mastery of seeking magic is much stronger than mine, can't you find one from here?"

A small and infinitely sad smile graced Celestia's lips as she turned back to me, "I afraid I won't have the time Twilight, I have to bend all my energy towards sealing the curse, that means I have to go to the source, Sugarcube Corner, if I can hold it there it's influence will spread since its only source of sustenance will be fighting it."

"Princess… you're not… are you saying…?" the notion my mind had been rebelling against since she mentioned the curses' power source came roaring to the forefront.

Celestia nodded slowly, her eyes filled with remorse, "When I was trying to free you four… I had to bend all of my magic towards piercing the veil that separated us… all of it… including the power I normally reserved to guard my own mind. I was able to use my powers to stave it off for a time but… obviously it was not a permanent solution. I am sorry Twilight, if I were a stronger pony I would have been able to move past this, especially after what you did for my sister… but I haven't, and the curse now has all the power it could need, reaped from a thousand years' worth of grief and unforgiven decisions."


	3. Chapter 2

We were quiet after that, it was a lot to absorb, dawn was just beginning to peek over the hills, I understood now why it had reformed so quickly, any single pony would've barely been enough to keep it from dissipating if even that… but nopony but Luna and Celestia themselves are entirely sure how long Celestia has been around. Even just counting the millennium that she's ruled Equestria though… No leader is able to make perfect decisions, even one as benevolent as my mentor, every leader bears the weight of difficult choices made in dire times, of wars fought, lives lost, things that they simply can't forgive themselves for, it's a weight that I'm slowly becoming aware of now. Celestia still regrets Luna's banishment, still blames herself for not being able to free her sister, instead condemning her to a thousand-year imprisonment, and that's just the tip, few ponies ever stop to think that she has been the one who has always ruled us, every decision, blessed or reviled, came from her, and she bore all of it with grace and dignity. Now however… the curse that I had brought into existence was feeding off of the regret's and blames she held in her heart. I didn't know what to say, how to apologize for what I'd done.

I opened my mouth but as always my mentor knew what I was going to say, she placed a single hoof on my shoulder and smiled, "No Twilight, this is not your fault, I have shouldered too much blame, in all my centuries of bearing the crown I became adept at forgiving others, after all I would live on long after they were dust, but it became more and more difficult to forgive myself. If I had been stronger I would not have weakened as I have, if anything I must thank you, it is in teaching you that I rediscovered what it meant to be young again. Seeing you with your friends, handling the good and terrible times forgiving and loving each other, I remembered what it was like to be free of all the weight I carry, you gave me back Luna and for that I can never repay you, however I must try, here and now, to buy you and the others time to fight back."

I nodded, willing myself to learn from my teacher once again, to learn this last lesson she so desperately was trying to teach me, to forgive myself. I let the sorrow come, the grief and the blame for what I had done, then accepted that the mistake had occurred and reached past it. I opened my eyes with a defiant glare and nodded again, seeing the look in my eyes Celestia gave the first genuine grin she'd worn since she arrived, "That's my girl Twilight, you always were a quick study, now go to the Apple Farm, it's the furthest from the Corner so it should have the least affect, be swift and take this." Celestia bow her head slightly and levitated the Crown of Equestria from her mane and placed it in my saddlebag before levitating that onto my back, I was speechless.

"It will do me no good down there" she said, smirking playfully at my expression, "Don't lose heart, Luna is even now working from the outside to find a way to help you, as it is she is maintaining the barrier from without as I cast it from within. She will find a way, I know she will, trust my sister as you trust me Twilight."

"Yes Princess, I will." I say, holding back tears as she pushes the door open, outside I can see a strange distortion high in the sky, the edge of the barrier probably, the strangest thing, however, is the weather.

It was snowing.

I snuck a peak back at my calendar hanging in the Library, sure enough there was no mark on it for snow, the weather patrol wasn't due to bring in the first snowfall for another two weeks at least.

"Princess what…?" I started as she trotted out into the cold.

"It's the curse, it has expanded about as quickly as I anticipated; once I locked it within Ponyville it woke, it has seized control of many of the elements, be wary, it will wield it's power against you, I will do my best to mitigate it's power," she state imperiously as she oriented herself, "I'm going to Sugarcube Corner, I don't know how long I will be able to hold it but you must find the sixth Element, or else I can make no assurances…" she paused, more words were on her lips though her expression was unreadable.

"Princess…"

"Be safe Twilight… If I had ever had a daughter… I would have wanted her to be just like you."

With those words Celestia rode the wind towards the center of town, quickly disappearing into the misty expanse beyond the Library, they were the last words I heard my Princess say, I pray now that they won't be the last words I'll ever hear her say. I remember that there were tears in my eyes as she vanished; I wish I could have said something then.

The going was going to be slow, I grabbed my scarf and earmuffs from the coatrack, Spike came back down with a hard look on his face that didn't quite fit the features of a baby dragon. I knew he'd heard everything, dragons had sharp ears.

"Twilight… what do we do about Sweetie Belle?" he asked, I'd been thinking the same thing.

"I'll make my way to Sweet Apple Acres and make sure it's safe, if it is we'll come back to get you and Sweetie Belle…" I hesitated for a moment, "Spike, keep her safe, I won't be able to look Rarity in the eye ever again if something happens to her."

Immediately Spike stood up straighter, "Don't worry Twilight, she's safe here, I may be a baby but I'm still a dragon."

I nod, giving him a small smile, "You're right, ok I'll be back as soon as I can get some help, and hopefully everything will be fine at the Acres."

Spike nodded judiciously, he knew the importance of the task he'd be given even if I knew he wanted to come with me. I reflected again on how lucky I was to have him; his loyalty to me never wavered. After giving Spike his instructions I turned and made the first steps out the door. It was freezing, I was no weather pony but even I knew it must've happened far too quickly, mist hung thick over the ground from what must have been a rapid drop in temperature, ice was already coating the branches and thick gobbets of snow were falling from the sky to coat the ground.

I started at a canter, even though it would tire me out I needed to keep my blood moving or else the cold would wear me out even faster than the exertion. From my library I knew it was more than a mile to the Apple family farm, it never seemed that far to me before but then, I reflected, I had never had to trudge there through near-whiteout conditions. I began trudging through Ponyville after I decided the best route would be to cut past town hall and take the southern road. I briefly considered taking the roundabout route that would put me past Fluttershy's but in these conditions I'd probably veer off by accident and end up in the Everfree since I had no idea how far the barrier extended, I cursed my lack of orientation as I sloughed through what was quickly becoming two hoof-deep snow. The wind was howling abominably, I could barely hear myself think, I blame that largely for what happened next.

I saw a shape in the thick mists ahead of me, another pony, I knew I must be near the town hall by now but I couldn't be sure until I found it.

"Hey! Am I near the town hall? I can't see much out here!" I called through the snow, the howling of the wind and the mists distorted my voice somewhat but I saw the pony move so I assumed he or she must have heard me. Somewhat relieved I pushed forward, the howling seemed to be getting louder.

"Are you alright? What are you doing out here?" I called, the pony didn't answer; it just kept slogging through the snow towards me.

A nameless fear started to crawl up my haunches as it approached, rather than moving forward I began to backpedal, "W-who are you? Answer me!" I nearly shouted as it was getting closer, powering through the thick snow with a force I couldn't manage on my best day without magic.

"G-get away," I yelled, my voice was falling into an almost pitiful pitch, it was an apparition, I knew it was, but who? Pinkie in her horrible dress? That parody of Rainbow Dash, held together by scar tissue and medical staples? I was just beginning to turn and gallop away at full pelt, the snow be damned, when I heard…

"Miz Twa'light?"

My heart gave a heaving sigh of relief, I knew that voice.

"Oh… Oh Celestia, Big Macintosh you scared me to death," I said softly as I turned back toward him, the familiar calm that seemed to hang around him cooling my jangled nerves.

"Ah'm awful sorry Miz Twa'light, I could bar'ly hear yew over tha' howlin' so I reckon'd I'd jus' move on over ta where we could each other proper like." He explained in his slow drawling way, his speech was oddly hypnotic like that.

I shivered before realizing we were still standing in the freezing tundra that Ponyville's main square had become. "Mac, we should get somewhere inside, I needed to ask you something," I say loudly, trying to make myself heard over the din. Big Macintosh just nodded phlegmatically and turned about.

"Foller me then Miz Twa'light, I'll get us over ta the town hall then," He said, heaving forward his powerful workhorse form cleaving through the snowdrifts like they were clouds. I reflected a bit as we walked that the snow was probably a lot less densely packed than the soil he was used to tilling, it must not be that different. Despite the conditions and the terrible event occurring around us I found a flush rising my cheeks as I contented myself with following the clear path he left and watching the muscles in his back strain as he tore through the heavy drifts that had given me so much trouble, it was really a sight.

I seem to have gotten off topic, where was I?

The town hall, yes, we made it there in short order, though from the time it did take I realized I had actually been off course by quite a bit. I gave silent thanks that I'd run into Mac when I did or I might've ended up at Sugarcube Corner by accident, I didn't want to be any nearer to that place that I had to be.

"Mac, what were you doing all alone out in that weather?" I asked once we'd made it inside and I'd shaken the snow from my mane.

"Ah could ask ye the same Miz Twa'light, ah was jus' out runnin' some errands fer Granny Smith when the snow started comin' down sumthin fierce. Ah reckon'd ah'd jus' grab pick up the carrots from Carrot Top afore it got any worse then 'ead home, but by the time ah got out'o Carrot Top's house everythin' wuz white. Tha's when ah saw ye sloggin through the snow so ah went ta see if ya'll were ok." He answered, I knew he was too polite to ask directly what I was doing; country manners were a curious thing.

"Sorry Mac, I was actually on my way to the Apple Farm, something has happened, it's causing this weather, you remember what happened to us? Your sister, Rarity, Fluttershy and I?"

He nodded; a slight tensing was the only sign that the subject meant any more to him than anything else. I explained as best I could to him, I knew that the magic side of it wouldn't mean anything to him, even less than it would to Applejack, Big Macintosh was truly a salt-of-the-earth type of pony. Still he understood the premise.

"So what yer sayin' is tha' somethin' bad's come of the thing's what were done in that basement, and now it's spreadin' all across Ponyville?" He shook his head, dislodging another gobbet of snow, "Ah knew no good would come'o that place, Applejack hasn't been the same since she got back, Applebloom's been takin' it pretty hard seein' her sister tha way she is now."

I nodded, "Sweetie Belle is having a hard time too, Rarity's been going missing lately, at first I just thought it was stress but…"

Big Macintosh just nodded, "Ah get what yer at Miz Twa'light, Ah've known Miz Rarity as long as anypony, she ain't the type ta leave 'er kin hanging in the cold, I reckoned it was somethin more than jus' runnin' off."

I smiled at that, Big Macintosh didn't even consider that Rarity might be running off and abandoning her sister, it hadn't even crossed his mind; he had simply assumed it was something else. It was a facet of his nature I'd always found endearing. As I felt the familiar flush rise to my face I looked down and a sudden chill wind suddenly swept through that made me cringe, when I opened my eyes I looked up…

Mac was gone.

There had been no sinister shadows, no hooves on the ground, he was simply there one minute and gone the next. I felt a primal panic rise in my heart I looked around but the light had chosen that moment to dim as what little sun there had been fell behind a thick cloud, the result was a shift from a semi-acceptable dim lighting to almost pitch black.

"M-mac?" I called out tentatively; something told me there wouldn't be an answer. Remembering the oppressive darkness of that phantom castle I felt panic start to surge up again, I knew giving in to it would be a mistake so I did what I had done before, I focused and called up a spell of light, letting radiance pour softly from my horn. At a glance I knew something was wrong, I hadn't had a good look inside the town hall when Mac and I had come in from the cold but I was sure it hadn't been in this bad of a condition. The floorboards were dusty and stained, the curtains were tattered, the paint on the walls was peeling, and the smell reminded me of a long-abandoned building. I once said in the end it would be the smells that I would remember; the town hall, by some sadistic trick, smelled like that castle.

I refused to let fear take me over, I quietly made my way over to the door but it was boarded up from the inside, same with the windows once I'd pulled back the curtains, I briefly considered just ripping off the planks. Very briefly in fact. Just thinking of the how much noise that would cause made me cringe again, this time from fear of what might hear me. No, I thought, there must be a way out, or at the very least a quieter means of leaving than ripping nailed-in boards out of the wall. Besides, if I was here then there was every chance Big Macintosh was here too and I wasn't going to abandon the only pony I'd seen since Celestia left.

I chose a door at random and tried the knob, the door creaked open in a way that made me shudder, I knew logically that it wasn't loud enough to attract notice but that didn't stop me from begrudging every stray noise. The room was empty except for a grungy desk that had been shoved in the corner at some point, on the desk though was a piece of paper, though it was as old as anything else she'd seen and equally dust-covered. After a quick scan of the room I slipped in and quietly closed the door behind me, glaring at the creaking hinges, and tip-hoofed over to the desk, the paper had something written on it, but it was in a shaky hand.

_This makes five times in two weeks that I've been taken. I don't know where I am, it looks a little like the town hall but I've never seen it so dilapidated. I shouldn't be surprised though, after what I saw in that place though… maybe all of Equestria is like this here. I wonder sometimes if I should tell them, my friends, I always come back but what if I don't one day? Who will take care of Sweetie Belle? I think I'll tell Twilight after I return this time. If I return this time. It's getting cold, I can see snow falling outside the window._

_If anypony reads this please know that I did what I could, I did as she told me and I think I helped, whatever the case is I won't fail again, not like I did in that place, I'll never fail my friends like that again._

I stared at the short message and it was Rarity's writing without a doubt; she must've been either tired or terrified for the writing to be as shaken as it was. I felt tears of shame well in my eyes but I bit them back. She had been being taken here all this time and she never said a word, worse than that though was the fact that I hadn't noticed. Whatever she was doing she was determined not to drag us into it, but who could she have been talking about I wondered, Luna? Or maybe even Celestia? It wouldn't have been the first time the princess had needed something done quietly.

The creak of the door split my concentration; I looked up to see it ajar. I stood frozen, staring at the open portal for a moment before a hopeful word slipped past my lips.

"Mac?"

I immediately cursed myself for my stupidity and ducked behind the desk, peeking underneath it at the doorway. I saw two hooves that, although they were very large, were most definitely not Mac's step into the room. I could hear the sound of harsh labored breathing coming from the pony that had entered, I couldn't see above its knees from where I was hidden though. It had a graying unhealthy color to its coat that reminded me of gray slate and its hooves were rough and cracked in places. It moved further into the room, its horrible breathing noises becoming louder. I started shaking, my hooves clamped to my mouth to stifle the sounds of my own breath, I felt like a foal hiding from a nightmare, except it was real and I knew somehow beyond a doubt that it would hurt me if I let it, the closer it got the more violence seemed to leak off of it.

As it approached the desk I could see the lines of scars that criss-crossed it's flesh, they were thin and exact, slicing along muscle and bone. The pain would have been unreal, I knew that for a fact, Rarity had inflicted similar wounds on me back in the castle. Painful but not fatal, at least not until a few hundred of them had been etched into your skin and the blood loss kicked in. I shook and I could feel new tears of terror start to well as it came closer, I could smell it now, the stink of its unwashed coat and its broken breathing. I prepared to bolt as it approached the desk, knowing that I didn't stand much chance of outrunning such a massive specimen I still prepared to through every spell in my meager arsenal of defenses at it when the sound of rapid hoofsteps sounded outside of the room, I heard a loud snort as it oriented towards the noise, the rotted planks creak and splintered as its powerful legs sent it after its new prey. I didn't breathe, I didn't move, I just laid there curled up as tears silently poured down my face. After convincing myself it wasn't going to return I breathed again, taking my sore hooves away from my mouth. I pulled myself out from under the table in a haze of nervous energy, the adrenaline that had been surging through me now leaving my muscles slack and worn, I turned…

_Shlick_

I felt a small sharp pain in my chest; I blinked a few times in disbelief at the smiling pony in front of me before turning my gaze down to the long and immaculately sharpened blade that had slid several inches into my chest. My breath burned as I looked back up into her dancing and laughter-filled blue eyes.

"Sleep time silly-filly, it's time to wake up!" she said cheerfully, I last thing I remember was the burning pain of the blade grazing past my ribs on its way out and the dull thudding impact of hitting the floorboards, and a light kiss grazing my cheek the way my mother used to when she tucked me in.


	4. Side Story: In the Calm

*This story takes place before the events of Curse and Consequences but after ASC. I decided to write it to back myself up from the horror genre for a moment to get some perspective.

Twilight stepped out into the sunlight, the day was gorgeous. Rainbow Dash would've been proud of a day like this, she thought as she stepped onto the yard in front of the library. A warm breeze ran through her mane as she inhaled the scent of fresh green grass, the air was rich with the smell of apples, the northbound wind carrying the fruit of the Apple family orchard with it on its way to Canterlot. With a smile that gave off a peace of mind she hadn't felt since the events at the Corner, Twilight made her way into town at a leisurely trot, thoroughly enjoying the cool wind and warm sun. Ponyville was bustling in its usual small ways, the sound of laughter and conversation was in the air as the towns resident librarian stepped into the Café. A familiar drawl hit her ears that made her smile again; Applejack was in the corner chatting with the proprietor of the Café with Big Macintosh's massive apple-red coated self, standing phlegmatically to the side of his fiery sister.

"Applejack, Big Mac, what are you doing in town so early?" she asked stepping up next to them, Applejack was looking better than before, the clean air and every-day chores of her life seemed to be helping. They reminded her of better times and better days to come.

"Oh, hey there sugarcube, me an' Mac was jus' deliverin' the weekly crates o' apple cider ta the Café here." She answered, Twilight couldn't help but feel a little relief when she saw her friends' face, the bags under her eyes were almost gone, her coat was the healthy shade of orange-cream it had always been before, and best of all her eyes were the mischievous glittering emeralds she remembered from her first day in Ponyville.

"Well I'm glad I caught you, I was just trying to decide what to have for breakfast, would you and Mac like to join me?" she asked cheerfully, Applejack smiled in return.

"Aw hun I'd love to but ah've got a few more roun's ta make afore ah can kip into a meal, how 'bout you come around fer lunch though sugar? It's been awhile ain't it Mac?" She offered.

"Eeyup," came the usual answer from Applejacks perpetually cool-headed brother. It was a running joke in Ponyville that if Mac ever got more than five words out it'd be because the sky was falling. Twilight liked Big Macintosh though, something about the big red workhorse carried a sort of passive calm, whenever he was around everything just seemed to get a little less hectic, it was like time slowed down a bit and moved at Mac's pace, rather than its own.

"I'll see you there then Applejack, I wouldn't miss lunch at the farm for anything in Equestria," she answered truthfully, lunch at Sweet Apple Acres was a sumptuous if simple affair since the spread had to be big enough for all the hard working ponies to get their strength up again.

"Tha's righ' ya won't hun, I'll tell Granny Smith to set another place at the table for ya," Applejack returned playfully bumping her hoof against Twilight's, "C'mon Mac, let's get on."

"Eeyup, ye have a good mornin' Miz Twa'light" Big Macintosh drawled pleasantly.

With that the Apple siblings left as the Café employee's took the newest delivery into the back, Twilight sat down to a daisy sandwich for breakfast and buried her nose in a good book. It was a story about peace after war, of loved ones finding each other again and old woes being buried, Twilight had read it three times in four days. Each time she liked it all the more. The sandwich was delicious and the apple cider was perfect, she suspected it had come from the very apples she had just seen being wheeled into the back by the waiter. She closed the book, having finished it yet again to find that it was only a little after ten in the morning, Twilight had spent the better part of three hours in the booth and she flushed a little in embarrassment as she left the restaurant. She thanked the waiter on her way, leaving her bits on the counter and earning a smile from the employees who, by this point were well aware of their librarians' habitual reading stints and were far too inured to them to have taken offense. The sun was still showering its warm light down on the little village as Twilight stepped out into the cool air, the smell of apples and flowers hung around her as she inhaled the welcome scent.

Twilight was halfway to town hall when, on a whim, she decided to detour to the park. A short trot later she was enjoying the feeling of the grass on her hooves as she sat down next to a small pond, glancing over she smiled at the pony near its edge. A pastel yellow Pegasus was tossing bits of bread into the lake and talking softly to the ducks that were surrounding her.

"Good morning Fluttershy," Twilight said softly as she lifted herself up and approached, careful not to startle the colorful water fowl that were enjoying her friends generous treats.

"Oh, good morning Twilight, I'm sorry I didn't see you," she said, her voice in its usual whisper timbre. Twilight waved a hoof and smiled.

"I was quiet, I didn't want to disturb you," I answered, "How have you been keeping?" Twilight asked that question every time she saw Fluttershy, and she always given the same answer.

"Better than yesterday Twilight, thanks for asking,"

Twilight nodded, she knew what her friend was going to say, but it was something that she needed to ask all the same. She knew that Fluttershy would answer differently if she was inclined to, otherwise the best Twilight could do was remind her friend that she was here and that she cared. They stood quietly by the shore of the pond together for a time, listening to the cheerful quacking of the ducks as Fluttershy finished tearing the remains of what appeared to have been a daisy sandwich apart and tossing it into the water.

"Hey Fluttershy, want to come to Lunch at the Apple's with me? It's been too long since we've all been together," Twilight ventured, "What do you say? Please?"

"Well… that does sound nice..." she said softly.

"Then it's settled! I'll let Applejack know," Twilight said, cheerfully, "let's go find Rarity; we can't do this without her."

Fluttershy nodded and they made the short trot back to the Library, it was quick business, writing the letter and having Spike send it off in a wash of emerald fire.

"Spike, we're having lunch up at Sweet Apple Acre's ok? I'm going with Fluttershy to find Rarity and invite her too," Twilight said as the two ponies were leaving.

"Alright, I'll see you girls there then," Spike answered, a hopeful look in his eyes, Twilight shook her head and smiled as Fluttershy giggled, the little dragon's crush on Rarity was pretty well known by the whole town, not that Spike knew that of course, he would've been mortified.

With that the two friends got out onto the road, as they were walking Twilight turned to Fluttershy, "Hey… you've been pretty quiet lately Fluttershy, is everything alright?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy was silent for a moment before answering, "I'm just not used to being… not ok with being alone… I guess. Sorry, that doesn't make much sense."

Twilight just shook her head and smiled, "I know exactly what you mean actually…" Fluttershy looked inquisitively at her friend.

"I don't sleep well, I wake up with nightmares every night, I think the only reason I've been ok this whole time is Spike," I answer slowly, "He's always there, he takes care of me more lately than I take care of him, I feel bad about it sometimes, he's just a baby dragon, he shouldn't have to worry about me."

Fluttershy sighed softly, "We're doing it again Twilight."

Twilight arched her eyebrows, "Doing what?"

"Holding things back, the last time things got so bad because we didn't want to admit how bad things really were," Fluttershy continued, "If we had just admitted how hard things were becoming maybe…"

Twilight nodded solemnly, they continued in silence for a while, the mood dampened somewhat before Fluttershy perked her head up.

"We should just get together more I think," she said, Twilight raised an eyebrow, Fluttershy had changed since the castle, she was more assertive even though she was quiet, she stuttered less and stood a little straighter. Twilight smiled at her friend, glad that she was becoming stronger even if Fluttershy herself couldn't see it.

"Yea, you're right, well we're here, you go check the Boutique, I'll look around the shops, one of us will find her then we'll meet up at the town hall in an hour ok?" Twilight said, her organizational skills kicking in automatically. Fluttershy just giggled at the instructions before nodding, spreading her wings, and taking off toward the Carousel Boutique.

Twilight was starting to get a little discouraged, she'd checked the fabric shop, the café, and even asked the mayor whom she'd run into outside the town hall with no luck. Maybe, she thought, Fluttershy has had better luck than me. Twilight was walking down one of the small thoroughfares of Ponyville keeping an eye open for the pristine white coat and vibrant mane of her friend when she caught a different though equally familiar sight, a massive red-coated workhorse standing at the apple stall on the side of the street.

"Hey Big Macintosh, what are you doing out here, doesn't Applejack usually run the stall?" Twilight asked as she stepped up to the stall, inhaling the fresh scent of the Apple Family's finest apples.

"Eeyup."

Twilight waited for more before shaking her head and dropping a few bits on the counter, Macintosh eyed them for a second before digging through one of the bushels and withdrawing one of the biggest and juiciest apples Twilight had ever seen.

"Wow, thanks," she said as he handed her an apple that fit neatly in his giant hoof and easily eclipsed hers.

"Eeyup."

Twilight giggled and bit into the apple, chewing thoughtfully she sat down beside the enormous colt as he plied his trade in his usual quiet and unassuming manner. For a moment Twilight just sat and ate, quietly enjoying the calm day, the sunshine, the sounds of the village, and the juiciest apple she'd ever bitten into.

"Thanks Mac," Twilight said quietly as she finished, tossing the core into a barrel at the side of the stall.

"Jus' an apple," he said in his deep basso rumble.

"No, I mean, thanks for looking out for Applejack, and for being around, it means a lot to us. All of us, so… Thanks Mac."

"…"

"James," came the unexpected response, it was almost a whisper in the same way distant thunder was quiet.

The word stopped Twilight as she was standing up and turning to leave. Positive her ears must've been playing tricks on her she turned back to regard Big Macintosh with a look of surprise bordering on shock.

"W-what?" she stuttered.

"Mah firs' name," he answered as he handed an apple to a smiling customer before cocking his head to meet her eyes.

Twilight stuttered in a manner that brought a queer sort of quirk to Macintosh's lower lip, it took her a moment to realize it was probably his equivalent of a smile.

"O-oh," Twilight said intelligently, an unexpected blush rising to her cheeks as she struggled to find some kind of words to say for what might have been the first time in her life.

"Ah'll see yew up at the farm ah reckon, 'bout rea'y tah close up this 'ere stall til arter lunch," he continued, the slow calming drawl bringing Twilight back to ground level.

"O-ok… uhm, you haven't seen Rarity by any chance have you?" Twilight asked a little lamely, Big Macintosh just shook his head.

"Oh, alright, well… I'll see you at the farm then… James." Twilight answered, for some reason the name brought a magnificent flush to her face and she dropped her eyes down, unable to meet his clear green orbs.

"Righ' I 'spect yew will at tha', G'afternoon then Miz Twa'light," he answered slowly as he attached the remaining apple-bushels to his omnipresent work harness. Twilight just nodded, still staring intently at ground as she fought to master the lively blush that seemed to be covering her face. Macintosh of course, simply pretended he saw nothing and continued on his way.

Twilight looked up as he walked away and let small smile seep onto her features that turned into a grin, she felt better than she had in days. She trotted out in the other direction to the town hall, the hour was almost up and Fluttershy was always a little early, she smiled widely at the sight of the pastel pegasus and the even wider at the immaculate white unicorn next to her. Rarity looked tired but happy, her gaze was distant though, as if she was listening for something, her attention snapped back as she noticed Twilight approaching.

"Darling, your timing is perfect; we just arrived," Rarity said happily as she trotted over to meet her friend, sharing a warm embrace before parting. Twilight smiled back at her old friend before nodding to herself.

"Rarity, it's been too long since we've spent some quality time together," Twilight said, "Did Fluttershy tell you the plan?" she asked.

"Oh darling I couldn't agree more, and yes she did, I would love to have lunch with you all, I… I have missed all of you very much," she finished quietly, for a moment she looked sad, as though something were weighing on her before the look vanished behind her perfect features. Twilight thought briefly about asking her what was wrong before mentally shaking her head, it wasn't the time, and they were going to all have lunch together, as a family, the way it used to be. Questions could come later but for now it was time for peace and a small celebration of friendship.

Granny Smith had outdone herself, though not without a little 'help' from the crusaders. The kitchen ended up looking like a flour bag had exploded and all three of the little fillies were stark white, they were still sneezing flour when the spread was laid out. The five friends; Spike, Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack, all sat together along with Big Macintosh. As the food was laid out and the drinks served Rarity rose unexpectedly, the glass raised high as her high and clear voice rang out.

"To seats left empty and friendship eternal."

The toast was met with the clinking of many glasses being raised in silence, five glasses stayed up a moment longer than others before meeting their owners' lips. The sun shone high in the sky and the breeze smelled strongly of apples as five friends as close as family shared a moment of calm and peace in the light of a beautiful day.


	5. Chapter 3

I sat bolt upright, slamming my head against the underside of a hardwood desk before crashing back to the floor in a daze with bright starbursts clouding my vision. Through the blinding pain just introduced to my skull I breathed in ragged gasps, willing the pain away I could only stare up at the slightly marred surface of well-kept desk I'd just bludgeoned myself against. Not moving my head, fearing the inevitable pain that would follow I cast my eyes to the left and right.

No Pinkie.

No mountainous and ragged pony.

I decided that wherever I had gone to, I was now back in Ponyville. The floorboards were swept, the curtains tasteful and maintained. I concentrated for a moment as a glow suffused my horn and swept down into my head, the dull throbbing that I knew was a precursor to the inevitable pain ebbed away. I rose gingerly, the ache now reduced to a twinge and looked around, the room I was in had more furnishings and showed the signs of at least relatively recent use, but empty all the chairs and rugs leaving only a battered desk and it was a twin to the room I had been in only moments ago. I put a hoof forward, intending to make my way out to the main foyer again when a fresh stab of pain hit me in the chest. I gasped as I felt the fire of my wound shoot through my lungs and grate against my ribs. I glanced down and saw a thin white scar where Her knife and slid into me.

So it was real, I thought, She was real.

I shook my head, banishing the fears, terrors, and mad-eyed phantoms with knives from my mind, it wouldn't help here. A noise interrupted my thoughts and brought me back to the now.

"Miz Twa'light? Miz Twa'light?" it was Big Macintosh, he was searching for me, I breathed a sigh of relief I hadn't even realized I was holding in. He hadn't gotten drawn into that place, he wasn't stuck there either. That was a bit of good news at least.

"I'm in here Mac," I called out to him from the room as I approached the door. I opened it to find Big Macintosh standing there with a worried expression creasing his face. It was probably the most emotion I'd ever seen him show since I met him that day before the Summer Sun Celebration.

"Ah, Miz Twa'light, ye gave me a right scare disappearin' like tha', where'd yew go off ta?" he sounded almost winded, I couldn't help but smile, at least inwardly. Having somepony worry about me like that was kind of… nice. I just shook my head in response to his question though, I hadn't the foggiest idea where I'd been either, not really.

"I don't know," I explained, "one moment I was standing there talking to you, the next you were gone I was standing in a room similar to the one we were both in but… older, more broken down and worn. I suppose it could've been some kind of translocation magic or maybe a dimensiona-…" I trailed off at the expression on his face.

"Heh, never mind," I shrugged, a little embarrassedly, there were times I forgot that only Unicorns had any real understanding of magic, and even amongst Unicorns only a few were really erudite in the subject. Rarity was a perfect example, a talented unicorn and capable of the simple powers that are our birthright but mostly ignorant of the deeper workings of magic. I felt a little foalish and not a little inconsiderate but Big Macintosh just waved one of his giant hooves and nodded.

"Well, ah'm jus' glad yew came out alrigh' Miz Twa'light," he said, sincerity in his eyes, I began to seriously doubt there was anything but sincerity in him though. I smiled a little at the thought.

"Just Twilight is fine," I answered, "ok James?"

He coughed and averted his eyes, "Uhm alrigh' Miz… uh, that is, uh… Twa'light."

I giggled at his response, for such a large pony he was certainly awkward, I chose to find it endearing, the effort he was putting into not placing the polite 'miss' in front of my name like he usually did certainly was. Even after he had, in his own way, given me permission to call him by his first name I still usually just called him Mac, he seemed more comfortable with it and I had known him as Mac for over a year. Besides, not everyone knew his first name, calling him by it in public felt like it would've been rude, though I'm sure he wouldn't have said anything.

I peered out the window, nudging the whole and untarnished curtains aside with a hoof, it was still snowing, albeit not as harshly as before, and the wind had died down somewhat.

"Let's go, if the Apple farm is safe then we need to go pick up Spike and Sweetie Belle as soon as possible," I said, authority slipping into my tone, Big Macintosh just nodded, phlegmatic as always. He tightened his work harness, wrapped the large muffler he had brought with him around his face and pushed the door open. I shivered at the icy winds that blew in, the town hall wasn't really heated at this time but it was positively cozy compared to the outside, Macintosh stepped out, clearing the way before holding the door open for me. I smiled at the gentlecoltly gesture, it seemed so out of place given what was happening and yet it was charming all the same.

As Big Macintosh stepped out into the snow he started shoving forward, clearing a swathe to walk through, I had no doubt it would mostly gone on the way back, I reminded myself to thank Big Macintosh again for this, I doubt I'd have made much progress without him. Something caught my eye as we made our way out from under the relative cover the awning though.

"Mac, stop for a second, do you see that?" I asked, "There, in the snow."

Mac stopped and peered down before nodding.

"Thos're tracks, pony tracks, how d'yew reckon they ended up on top 'o the like tha' though?"

The question had entered my mind as well, hoof prints on the surface of the snow, too big for a foal. Logically there was no way those tracks could be there on the snow so clearly, but as much as it galled me I knew logic had very little meaning where that damned curse was concerned.

"I don't know Mac, personally I don't want to find ou-" even as I said the words, I heard a voice on the wind, not just a voice, it was singing. "Mac do you…?"

He nodded, "Ah do hear it Miz Twa'light."

I arched an eyebrow at him, he blinked before shrugging a silent apology to me. The song was more important now, it was wordless and tuneless, more like a melodic wail than an actual song, as it became louder though the wind started to pick up fiercely.

"MAC! DO YOU SEE IT? WHAT IS IT?" I yelled as the wind became a pandaemoniac gale, howling raucously, and yet by some perverse virtue the song remained constantly within our hearing. Macintosh moved right next to me, leaning down to speak where I could hear him. I was thankful for his resonant voice; he barely had to raise it above its usual timbre to make himself heard.

"Ah think ah do Twa'light, ah saw somepony a'movin' out thar in tha snow, ah think it was a mare, she was pure white an' had this sorta cloth whippin' an' dartin' aroun' her." He said, trying to explain what he saw, "She had her head point'd up an' her mouth open, ah can still hear tha' song Twa'light an' ah don' like it one bit."

I shook my head, somehow I knew that I needed to catch a glimpse of her, something in me was driving me forward I pushed through the snow towards the sound, Mac was calling after me, I poured out magic, creating a wedge of force in front of me to break the wind so I could move faster. It seemed like the closer I got the fiercer the storm became though. Despite the near whiteout conditions though, I made it, for a brief moment I saw her. Her mane and the gossamer cloth that draped across her was caught in a hurricane wind, whipping it around just as Mac had said. In the storm I couldn't make out the color of her coat or mane, the snow obscured everything, her mane was a darker color though, I could only tell because it contrasted with the snow. What struck me was her face, she was walking forward but she wasn't looking where she was going, she moved on heedless with her head bent skyward, wailing melodiously. Her eyes though, I remember clearly, they were deep black pits and tears like pitch streamed down her face, grief filled her voice and whatever impetus had driven me forwards now screamed at me to turn and run. As it did her face turned towards me, ever so slowly so that a single empty eye was regarding me, I felt my heart starting beating faster and terror hit me like a steel bar. The spell was broken, I turned and ran, and that was probably a mistake in retrospect because the song turned into a scream.

I could hear it, I could hear the pounding whisper of its hooves striking the top of the snow, leaving hoofprints but carrying no weight, I saw a red blur pass me, sheering through the snow at a speed I couldn't believe Big Macintosh was keeping up with me, between my wedge and his raw muscles we ran. The scream was deafening and beneath it I could hear weeping and moaning amongst other more unpleasant sounds. I could hear the hissing of the black viscous liquid dripping from her eyes to the snow.

"MAC! WE AREN'T GOI-" I started to yell before losing all of my breath to the most powerful kick I'd ever experienced, I know I felt some ribs crack as I sailed through the air…

…and crashed directly through a window, moments later there was the sound of a splintering crack and another slamming of hooves. I looked up and saw Mac driving a table against the broken remains of the door he must've burst through. His face was straining with effort as blood coursed down it from a dozen tiny scrapes. Outside I heard her, the mare, bellowing and screaming, it sounded as though she were beating herself against whatever Big Macintosh had left of the entrance. I rose unsteadily, my left side was a network of fiery pain and numb throbbing and I was almost dry magically speaking but I poured a little magic into my side to heal some of the worst fractures before moving beside the great red workhorse and pressing my good shoulder against the table. For a moment I was almost thankful for the things that were done to me down in that castle, at least it taught me how to handle extreme pain. Pressing myself against the door was certainly that… my body screamed in protest but I kept pushing, unwilling to allow whatever that thing was inside. I felt the newly healed fractures start to buckle, I was almost blinded by pain, and all I could think of was to continue pushing.

Suddenly the pressure let up, I stopped straining and dropped to the floor, Big Macintosh leaned heavily against the makeshift barricade we had used to stop it from entering. We both took the moment to breathe, the wailing scream had dissipated, the howling winds were letting up, and I slowly keeled over and slumped onto my side. A mistake as it turned out as that was my wounded side, I hissed in pain but I simply lacked the energy to move. Macintosh leaned down and gingerly lifted me onto his back, careful not to jostle the fractured ribs of my side. He moved us towards a set of stairs and we ascended.

"Ah'm righ' sorry 'bout tha' kick Miz Twa'light… Tha' thar mare was 'bout ta get on ta yew and I couldn't see no other way ta keep yew out'o her gullet…" He kept talking as we moved down a familiar hallway towards the room at the end. "Ah didn' know what else ta do so… so ah saw this here buildin' an'… kick'd yew through the window… Ah'm awful sorry… Ah swar ah didn't mean ta hurt yew."

I shook my head and patted his shoulder with my good arm, "Don't be Mac, it's nothing, you saved my life, that's worth a couple of ribs any day."

He still looked devastated at his own actions; he'd probably never forgive himself for it. Mac nodded though, I knew he felt terrible, Mac wasn't the type of pony to hurt anypony in anyway, and he was gentle to his bones. He had saved my life and risked his at the same time. He had no way of knowing that he could outrun that thing, or that it wouldn't turn on him the instant I was out of its vision. We entered a bedroom, it looked disused, and he laid me carefully on the bed.

"Ah know this pro'ly ain't yer favorite place but it was tha only place nearby… sorry again Twa'light… Ah guess this is tha las' bed yew'd like ta be layin' in," he said as he settled himself on the floor and set to tearing up a brightly colored piece of sheet to dab at his wounds. I glanced around at the décor, bright pink wallpaper decorated with balloons, a desk covered in all manner of costume ornaments; fake mustaches, hypno-glasses, a red clown nose... I felt my heart sink to a pit in my stomach before burying my head in the pillow. It was the smell of Pinkie Pie, which made sense since I was lying in her bed.

"No… it's ok Big Macintosh, this was the only place…" I said softly, trying to fight back my tears that had nothing to do with the pain in my side. Big Macintosh just nodded and went about cleaning his wounds, albeit a little clumsily.

"Let me do that, you'll just shove the splinters in further, I read a book about how to get them out, it's easy, just stay still," I said as I leaned over and took the cloth from his hoof, slowly going about the task of cleaning up his face, picking out stray bits of wood and splinter from the cuts. Fortunately they were all superficial, it was still a calming exercise though, and something I could do to take my mind off of things. Like the idea of lying in the bed of my best friend and the worst murderer in the history of Ponyville. Like the fact that if I didn't distract myself, I could still hear her, the mare in the snow, wailing her song into the storm.


	6. Chapter 4

We rested for a few minutes, the howling outside began to lessen which we took as a good sign, or at least a sign that the mare had moved away from us. I was getting restless, I knew I wasn't supposed to be here, Celestia was somewhere down there, I could feel the rhythmic pulse of powerful and ancient magic coming from deep beneath us, far deeper than the basement of Sugarcube Corner could possibly go. I reminded myself that the laws of physics and metaphysics that I had learned weren't all necessarily intact in this place though, I didn't want to go downstairs, I didn't want to be any closer to the thing that the princess was keeping caged in the basement than I had to. Fear was becoming a natural part of me though, after the harrowing I endured in the castle I was beginning to learn to control it, to use it. I was determined that it would never overcome me again, I wasn't going to let that happen, I was going to protect my friends.

"Mac, we should go, Sweetie Belle and Spike are waiting for us," I said, breaking the silence that had sunken into the air since we had arrived, Big Macintosh just nodded in agreement. "I think… we should go out this way," I gestured with a hoof to the window that hung over Pinkie's headboard.

"Uh, Miz Twa'light, why exactly would yew want tah go out tha' way?" He asked, I looked down in response as I tried to decide whether or not to tell him about what was beneath us. I decided that if I could trust anypony, it would be Macintosh.

"Beneath the floor of this building is where everything started, the curse, the deaths, everything, and right now Princess Celestia is down there containing whatever it is that woke when she sequestered Ponyville from the rest of Equestria."

"Ah, an' I reckon she toldja tah stray off from this place if'n yew could manage it am I righ'?" Big Macintosh ventured.

"Yea, something like that… I just don't thi-" my words were cut off by a sound like a thunderbolt, like a building being cloven in two, it took a moment for me to orient and realize it had come from…

"THE LIBRARY!" I shouted, standing up far too quickly, my ribs screamed in protest as pain shot through my body, I flinched and nearly lost my footing before shaking it off, "Mac. The window. NOW!" I commanded, to my surprise he didn't even nod, he just lifted to his hooves, turned about, and kicked. The window exploded in a hail of glass and splintered wood from the frame, I looked down, there was an awning, I knew it would hold my weight but Big Macintosh was an entirely different matter. I looked back at Mac and opened my mouth but he just shook his head.

"I'm going down Mac," I wasn't going to wait, not if Spike and Sweetie Belle were in danger, ribs or not I was going down. The rest had done me a world of good, I could feel the whispers of magic flowing back into me, with a small effort I translocated from the bedroom down to the ground floor. I started to move in the direction of the Library when everything shimmered. I'd never seen a heat mirage before, Ponyville is in a pretty temperate area, but I'd read about them, it was how I'd imagined them to be, everything at a distance was distorted, I could taste a coppery tang in the air.

No, not now, not here.

I whipped around and shouted up to Mac, even then I could see the changes start to warp the town around me, "MAC! GET TO THE LIBRARY! HELP SWEETIE BELLE AND SPIKE! I'LL-" I cut off, I caught a glimpse of Mac's surprised face before the whole world flickered around me and he vanished. He couldn't hear me anymore, there was no point in yelling, it would probably just attract the attention of one of those… things. I stepped backwards, my hooves no longer as cold as they had been a moment before, in fact, it wasn't all that cold at all… it was kind of warm. I looked around, snow was still falling, the ground was still…

No…

That wasn't snow, I lifted a blackened soot-stained hoof and grimaced, it was ash. Ash was falling from the skies, I pulled the scarf up over my mouth, I knew the dangers of breathing in ash, the scarf wasn't much but it was better than nothing. I moved towards the direction of the Library, it wasn't far from the Corner and even though it wouldn't be the same here, maybe when I… came back… I could do it there…

_Twilight_

I felt my blood run cold; that voice cut me to the bone, for as long as I live I will hear that voice in my nightmares.

_Twilight… Come… Come back…_

The voice was coming from inside my own head and yet… still I could hear it issuing from the building behind me, whispering up from a great depth. It spoke with the voices of many ponies, the cold clear tones of Nightmare Moon, the arrogant sneer of that phantom rainbow dash, and many more…

_Twilight… _

"NO!" I shouted, denying the voice, turned to face the building but back-pedaling away from it.

_TWILIGHT. YOU WILL RETURN._

Suddenly the air heated up and burned, I started hacking, tasting smoke and blood, it felt like the entire town was ablaze. I could feel it scratching at the walls of my mind, laughing and screaming ceaselessly, as I muttered, "No no no no no no no no no no…" I huddled into a ball, heedless of danger and spoke the word over and over again as I shook.

"You are responsible for EVERYTHING…" the hateful yet regal voice of Nightmare Moon cut through my thoughts, I looked up and saw her standing over me, she was almost… insubstantial.

"Yea, and we mean everything," from my other side the voice of Rainbow Dash, tainted with malice and contempt, I looked over, I couldn't help it, she was just as I remembered in my dreams; covered in old scars, cuts, stitches, and medical staples, seemingly barely held together. More shadows started to approach, indistinct and blurred, but they were ponies; Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns…

"You failed Twilight Sparkle, and this is what you have wrought," Nightmare Moon said, stepping closer and leaning down to whisper into my ears. "Every victory you thought you won, every disaster you thought you averted, it was all tainted by failure."

"And you know the best part?" Phantom Dash said, barely contained laughter choking her voice, "She doesn't even realize it yet!" she said it like it was a punch line to some horrible joke.

"HAAAHAHAAHAHAHAAA…" their voices rang in my ears, the laughter was sickening and horrible, I felt a burning in my horn, I could wipe them out, banish them, go help Celestia. I could do it… I knew I…

"Teeheheheehheheehee!"

The sudden and completely incongruous noise jarred me out of my darkening thoughts. Laughter, real laughter, tinged with insanity maybe, but… I looked up, they were gone, all of them, I was alone, the echo of the malice in their voices slowly fading. I shook my head clear of the specters that had filled it moments before, I couldn't lose it now, not here, I had to get to the Library. I took one last glance at Sugarcube Corner before leaving. "I'm sorry, princess… keep fighting, all of us are depending on you," I whispered as I turned away from Sugarcube corner and took off at the closest thing to a gallop that my aching ribs would allow.

I made good time, all things considered; the Library wasn't too far from Sugarcube Corner anyway. I braced myself, even though it had only been my home for a year I had made more memories in it than in any of the archives in Canterlot, I certainly wasn't looking forward to the state I would find it in. As it turned out my fears were well-founded, I turned the corner to face the Library and choked back a gasp, I felt an ache in my heart as I approached the ruin gingerly wary of any more phantoms. The massive tree looked as though it had been split by a massive lightning bolt, the eastern wall torn open, the rotted wall of the tree hanging loose. I began to wonder if my first impression wasn't far from the mark as I surveyed the damage, whole sections of the tree were blackened as though by fire. The door was hanging partially off of its hinges I avoided touching it, still wary of the creaking noise it might produce, and entered the Library. I couldn't help a few hot tears welling up as I looked around my old home, I knew it wasn't real but seeing it, feeling it, smelling the old scents… It was difficult to see a place I loved so much reduced to a wreck. The bookshelves were shambles and the books they once held were moldering on the floor, ruined through exposure. I swallowed softly and stepped inside fully, a glint of color caught my eye and I turned, the wall was smeared in something like paint, I didn't think too hard on it. I backed up to get a wider view of it, my eyes widened when I realized it was a message.

I HEARD THE WHISPERS. SHE MADE ME LOOK DOWN.

I shivered slightly, the message unnerved me in a way I couldn't quite put my hoof on. I still wondered what it meant though, I looked over the floor but all I saw was the mess of old ruined books and shattered shelves. I shook my head before a thought came to mind, "The basement…" I whispered to myself, I looked to where the door to the basement had been.

"Horsefeathers," I cursed under my breath, the basement door was collapses along with most of the section it was built into, my telekinesis spell wasn't going to be enough to clear it, the attempt might even bring more of the building down. I dropped to the floor, exhausted mentally and physically, I was tired of all of the terror and the evil, I didn't deserve what was happening, nopony did. I sat there quietly for a few moments, clearing my head before taking a deep breath… and started hacking and cough, the stink I had just accidentally assaulted my nostrils with overcoming all other unpleasantries I had encountered. It smelled like…

"Chemicals… smelled like lab chemicals, from MY lab," I realized with a start, "but… where?" I started looking around the floor, checking the piles of debris; the stink was hanging low to the ground meaning it had to be wafting up through a hole of some sort. I used my magic to clear mound after mound of dirt, ash, and trash til I finally found it; beneath a number of fallen bookshelves was a hole in the floor.

"Ugh…" I covered my nose with a hoof, the stink rising out of the hole was legendary, I also reminded myself that the fumes might also be hazardous, I kept a few chemicals in there nopony would want to be caught breathing in heavily. I concentrated on a simple spell and a bubble of clean air surrounded my nose and mouth. I lit my horn and held it down to illuminate the darkness, most of the lab was in disarray like the rest of the Library though it was notably less so. The tables were still upright, the various paraphernalia were mostly intact, it was more a general chaos of a well-used lab that I had long ago become accustomed to. I dropped into the basement, cushioning my fall with a wave of magic, I didn't dare light the torches on the walls, I knew for a fact a few of the fumes I'd smelled earlier were flammable in high quantities. I contented myself with pouring more magic into the light spell and illuminating the room, something I immediately wished I hadn't done.

"No… nonononono…" I whispered as I spied what I thought had been a pile of trash in the corner, "No… please no…" I muttered over again as I approach the mess, it was a leathery mass of pallid scales, even after all the exposure from the fumes they still kept a semblance of their color, purple and green scales covered a much larger form than the baby dragon who was my lab assistant. "Oh Spike…" was all I could say as I let tears fall uninhibited. He was older, larger, and even now I could see how strong he had once been before whatever had happened to him in this horrible place. His scales were torn and ragged, rents and holes were open on his body as if he had been ravaged by something. He was curled in the corner, shielding himself with his wings which looked as if they'd been chewed through.

I staggered back from the corpse-thing and emptied my stomach on the floor, even if this place wasn't real… seeing Spike like that was too much, it was too cruel. I turned away from it and looked around the lab, it was mostly how I'd left it, in a sort of orderly chaos. A section of one of the tables looked like it had been hastily cleared away though, I trotted over to it and saw why; someone had carved something into the wood delicately in a way that could only have been done by magic.

_I woke to find myself here. I don't know where I am. I fell asleep in my living room, and now I'm this place. I can't stop hearing her. She's whispering and whispering in my ears until it's all I can hear. Sometimes she's quiet, but it's almost worse, I can feel her nearby. Even now I can feel her nearby. She whispers: I'm coming back, I'm coming back, and horrible things are coming too. I've seen her a few times, just out of the corner of my eye, that's where she is right now, watching me. Smiling, she's always smiling. She brought me here, I know it. She's whispering again, she says, 'don't cry Rarity, I love you too'. Oh Celestia. Help me. Remember. The corner of your eye._

I suppress a grim shiver at the message left carved into the hard wood of the table, Rarity was here too, why though? I couldn't help thinking that there must be a reason. Rarity may not be the most powerful unicorn, but she's clever. On a whim I closed my eyes and let them settle into soft focus before opening them, staring straight ahead I let my awareness drift to the right, into my periphery…

A flash of pink.

I whipped around, my horn blazing to intercept a razor-edged blade.


	7. Chapter 5

The blade stopped inches from my face but she was nowhere in sight, I glared at the weapon for a moment before letting it drop to the floor, I had just let out a sigh of frustration when a felt a warm body sidle up next to me, I froze…

"Hey Twi…" her voice whispered in my ear softly, it was almost sad, I didn't turn, I didn't move. Something impelled me to stay perfectly still, and to stay where I was.

"P-pinkie?" I answered the voice at my ear, I felt her lean against my neck, she was warm and there was a soft wetness, almost like… tears.

"You have to get out of here Twi… it's dangerous," she said, her voice was barely a murmur in my ear, I mustered up what remained of my jaded courage, after everything that had happened something in me was too weary of the darkness to be afraid.

"I guess you mean dangerous besides you, right?" I said, my voice softening to a whisper matching hers, I could smell her scent, like bubblegum and freshly baked cakes and for once the smell didn't fill me with terror at the memories of what I'd seen. The smell was untainted, it was clean and... I felt something well in my heart, not fear, but sorrow. Despite all she had done, all the horrors and atrocities she had committed… I missed my friend terribly.

I heard a soft scoff, then she shift herself against my side to rest her head over my neck, I could feel her nuzzling into my mane playfully, the way she used to when she hugged one of us, "Yea… a lot more dangerous than me, and it's close."

"I can't leave yet Pinkie, there are things I need to do here," I answered her.

"I know, but not here here, you need to do them there here," she said in response as she rested casually on my shoulder. I couldn't help but let out a small laugh, the way she had said that was so… Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie… you're so random."

"I know… but really Twilight… you need to go…"

I shook my head, "I told you, I'm not done here."

"Twilight…" she lifted her head off of my shoulder, her voice full of concern. 

"I'm not leaving yet Pinkie, I can't."

"Twilight…"

"Pinkie I told you I-" out of reflex I turned to face her and my words died in my mouth. Her face was twisted into an unholy mockery of excitement, her mouth was stretched in a psychotic grin that literally went ear to ear, her white teeth shining in the darkness, and her wide, stark white eyes burned with the light of pure and undiluted insanity.

"_RUN"_

Every muscle in my body fired at once, I leapt away as an insane laughter ripped from her throat and she bounded after me, snapping up the discarded blade in her mouth as she moved. I got around a table, intent on keeping some obstruction between me and… and that thing.

"RUN RUN RUN TWILIGHT!" She said, working the words around the blade she carried.

So I ran, I released a surge of telekinetic force, hurling the table at her and ran underneath the whole I arched my head down and sent a blast into the floor, propelling me violently and quickly upwards. I reached out and caught the lip of the hole and started to pull myself up, I cried out in pain as I felt a cold burning sensation in my legs, the laughing madpony below me was slicing at anything she could reach, I heard her leaping up and down, and the slice of the blade through the air as a I finally made it to the ground floor. My legs had several small and shallow gashes, I could hear Pinkie laughing hysterically from below, I knelt and pressed my horn against my legs, the angle was awkward but I made it, and slowly I let light spill over the wounds and knit them closed.

"Pinkie…" I whispered, hoping to hear the calm voice that had reminded me of her before I'd lost her… something clicked in my mind at the thought.

I'd lost her.

What if I could find her again… I shook my head, remembering the conversation I had just had with her, she had been lucid, kind, and warm. She had been Pinkie Pie again, not the killer in the basement, not the madpony in the castle. She'd been…

A sudden weight hit my back and drove me to the floor.

"HEY TWILIGHT! WHY'D YOU STOP RUNNING?" She bellowed in my ear, my train of thought shattered I bucked, trying to dislodge her from my back as she laughed in that high-pitched cackle, sudden scorching pain ran down my back as she drove her blade into it. I spasmed at the pain, putting all my force and the fury of panic into the attempt, throwing her off, she landed in a pile of debris, apparently overcome with a fit of hysterics. She righted herself and picked up the fallen blade, the wide grin and gleaming insanity still present.

I opened my mouth to talk to her, plead with her, but whatever I had been planning on saying was drowned out at that moment as a roar tore through the air, it was a roar that could never have been produced by anypony, it had palpable weight and carried a kind of manifold rage that nopony could even come close to feeling, much less expressing. I stared out of the blasted hole in the wall out into the distance from where the roar was emanating, the center of Ponyville, something about it seemed to dampen any other sound. As it faded I looked back to Pinkie, I realized she had stopped laughing, she was gone. Panic flew through me and I whipped my head around, trying to find her, focusing on the edges of my vision, the way I'd caught her before, but no pink ponies, no flashes of steel, she was gone.

"Pinkie…" I whispered, half to myself.

"Twilight?"

"Pinkie…?" I whipped around, expecting to see the pink pony, her face twisted into the maniacal grin but instead it was…

"R-rarity?" I gasped, my surprise filling my voice, "So you are here, but… how? And Why? And HOW?" questions flooded out but Rarity only lifted a hoof to forestall them. After a moment I realized that there was something different about my fashionable friend, her mane was in disarray and hung limply, her coat was streaked with ash and grime, but most telling were her eyes, they were hard and determined, possessing a naked ferocity I had only ever seen her display once; in the torture chamber of a certain castle.

"Twilight, darling, I'm sorry I can't answer your questions, but you have to go," her tone brooked no question.

"Rarity, wait, have you been here the whole time? Why?"

She only shook her head in answer, trotting over and wrapping her hooves around me, pulling me into a tight hug, "You have to go," she whispered, I patted her arm and leaned into her, "make sure Sweetie Belle stays safe, and you too, stay safe." I started to answer when her grip suddenly became like iron, with a twist she bore me down to the floor, hooves crushing the air from my throat. I could see the pain in her eyes as she stared down at me, throttling me with her bare hooves. My vision blurred and distorted as I fought against her, but all of her weight was bent down on my throat and with every swing my struggles became more and more feeble. Her voice came through like a distant buzz, "I'm so sorry Twilight… take care of my sister…"

Darkness overcame me; I heard the fleshy cracking sound of fracturing cartilage and I felt the pain in my throat as her hooves crushed my wind pipe, the gagging as my lungs burned, trying to take in air that wasn't coming. Then slowly my consciousness drifted away too.

My eyes snapped open to a bright light and voices; I gasped and gulped in deep breaths of air, sudden vertigo assaulting me as oxygen reached my lungs.

"TWILIGHT?" Spike's voice broke through the haze and I oriented on him, the glare clearing as I came back to full consciousness, "Where did you come from? Are you ok?" he was helping me up. My vision was still blurry, I felt a strong back lift me up and deposit my prone form onto the couch, I figured I must be in the living room of the Library. It was just like over there only here… not here here… there here… I laughed softly, there here; that's where I was now I guessed.

"I'm ok…" I croaked, my throat felt raw but whole.

"Let's get you some water, Mayor Mare could you?" he asked, a clean and cultured voice answered.

"Of course dear," I heard the sound of hooves moving away then coming back a moment later, a few moments after that a glass of water came into view, I gulped it down greedily. Finally my vision unclouded, I looked around; Spike was in front of me, worry in his eyes, I looked up and saw Sweetie Belle on the stairwell, Mayor Mare was standing to the side and…

"Big Macintosh!" I felt my heart swell, he was ok, he was alive and ok. Mac was standing off to my right near the door, he nodded and came over to me.

"Eeyup, ah'm jus' fine Miz Twa'light, soon as yew vanished I made mah way down ta the floor and came righ' here. Miz Mayor was alrea'y here when ah arrived." I smiled as he explained, his low drawling tone giving that same sense of comfort it always did.

"But… Mayor Mare, what are you doing here?" I asked, a wry smile crossed her features as she adjusted her half-moon spectacles.

"Obviously my dear I'm here to help, with the princess dealing with that… thing beneath the Corner and Luna maintaining the seal…" she stopped and smiled again at the look on my face. "Dearie you couldn't possibly think I hadn't been apprised of the situation," she shook her head and sighed, "Sometimes I think you may be too clever for your own good. I may not be the favored protégé of Celestia but Ponyville is my town after all, I've been corresponding with Princess Celestia for some time now, she instructed me to lend you any aid I can." With that she nudged an ornate box towards me, "Princess Celestia told me that if the worse should happen, and obviously it has, I should bring you these, I've been keeping them safe for her since the Discord incident."

I got up off of the couch and clicked the box open, inside were five necklaces and an ornate tiara.

"The Elements of Harmony," I whispered, I hadn't seen them since I'd returned them to Celestia's vault after Discord had been once again sealed away. Even though I had wielded them twice in as many years they still took my breath away, their beauty went beyond the physical, but…

"They're dark…" I said, looking over the gems, once they had shone with light and power, now they were dull and lifeless, they may as well have been made of glass.

Mayor Mare nodded solemnly, "Yes, that worried me too, the princess said it had something to do with, 'The Breaking of Harmony' she called it, I assume she meant the deaths of two of the Elements…"

I nodded in agreement, "Without Loyalty and Laughter the Elements are incomplete, and we can't use their power to its fullest…" I shut the box, looking away from the stark reminder of our lost friends, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and now… Rarity was still over there. With a huff I turned and faced the group, "Alright, we still need to get to the Apple Family Farm, I have a cart out back we can use, Macintosh do you think you can pull all of us?"

"Eeyup."

"Ok, Spike, burn a path to cart and get everyone in, Sweetie Belle you help Mayor Mare find some blankets, it's cold out there and we'll need them for the trip," I rattled off instructions and each pony and dragon went off in search of their tasks.

"Twa'light, what abou' tha' mare out thar in the snow?" Macintosh asked in a quiet rumble once everyone else had left earshot.

I had been thinking the same thing, so I gave him the only answer I had come up with, "I don't know Mac, but we'll hear it coming at least, it seemed to be hanging around town so… do you think we can cut around and go down the path past Fluttershy's cottage? Avoid town altogether? I know it's a longer trip but…"

Big Macintosh nodded and slung his heavy scarf around his neck, "Tha' ain't no problem Twa'light, tha' way we can see if Miz Fluttershah is home and we can bring'er with us."

I smiled, no wonder Applejack was so dependable, with a brother like Mac I couldn't see how she could've grown up any other way. Sweetie Belle and Mayor Mare were building up a respectable pile of blankets, I chose one of the lighter ones and swung it over Mac's back, "Here, it'll help a little least."

To my surprise he fidgeted a bit and looked embarrassed, "Tha's awful kind o' yew Miz Twa'light, thank yew."

Outside I heard a belching of flame that signaled Spike coming around with the cart, "Ok everypony, time to go, I won't lie, there are things out there in the snow, dangerous things, but we can make it, make sure we're all under the blankets, keep the whitest ones on top, they're help us blend in." They all nodded, even Sweetie Belle looked determined, scared, but determined.

"Twilight? W-what about my sister?" she asked softly as we loaded up the cart, I felt a twinge in my heart, I couldn't tell her exactly what happened but…

"Rarity is fine Sweetie Belle, I ran into her a little while ago," at my words Sweetie Belle's eyes brightened. I looked out over the snow and shuddered, not from the cold, but from the song twisting on the wind.


	8. Chapter 6

The cold whipped around us fiercely, the weight of the snow building on top of the covers made my choice of white blankets for camouflage somewhat moot, but it was still better than some vestige of color peeking out of the snowdrift that was slowly accumulating on top of us and giving us away. The cart wasn't large; Mayor Mare and I taking up most of the space with Sweetie Belle and Spike nestled between us for warmth. I was freezing but the Mayor seemed as unperturbed as ever, she always kept a calm face, I suppose that was what made her such a capable leader…

"Mayor Mare..." I started to say but she shook her head.

"Marelyn, please… I think we're somewhat beyond formality at this point, don't you Twilight?" she said, a small smile edging onto her features.

"Uhm, Marelyn, you said you had been corresponding with the princess for a while, so… did you know that she…?" I halted mid-sentence to find the words.

"Did I know that the curse was killing her? Yes, I did," she answered solemnly.

I choked, hearing that phrase, '…was killing her' broke my concentration, it had been the word I was avoiding, and I knew she had looked ill before but… "Marelyn… do you think she'll come out of this… ok?"

Mayor Mare looked pensive for a moment before shaking her head, "I respect you too much to treat you like a foal Twilight Sparkle, I'll be honest then; Princess Celestia made no secret in her letters to me that she did not expect to survive the fight with the entity if it came to that."

I had been expecting the words but hearing them out loud was something entirely different, I wasn't stupid, I knew that in the state she was in and the fact that the very thing she was fighting was fed from her own power meant she had slim odds of coming out of it but… the princess had always been there, she was as much a part of Equestria as the earth and the sky. Whatever some of the more radical political theorists said I doubt anypony had ever seriously imagined having another ruler; it was like imagining that the sun would suddenly become green one day.

"W-" I choked up slightly at what I was about to ask but rallied and continued, "What will we do when this is all over? If things do get better and Celestia is still… gone…"

Mayor Mare just shook her head, "I don't know Twilight, I truly don't know."

"Miz Twa'light? Miz Mayor? We're at Fluttershah's cottage," Big Macintosh's voice cut through the conversation, both Marelyn and I rustled about to free our heads from the weight of the snow-covered blankets. I saw that Mac was right, we were in fact stopped just in front of the little bridge leading to Fluttershy's hut, it was barely noticeable though, the snow was covering it entirely, and it was even blocking the entrance.

"Oh dear, she may be trapped in her home," Mayor Mare quickly extracted herself from the back of the cart and dropped into the snow, I remember mentally imagining that Fluttershy being trapped in her cottage was probably the best case considering some of the things wandering around out in the cold.

"Mac, keep an eye on Sweetie Belle and Spike please," I said as I followed Marelyns example and dropped into the snowdrift forming around the cart, I shivered as the relative warmth of the cart was replaced by the freezing cold. Big Macintosh nodded phlegmatically and settled into the snow as I started after the Mayor.

I used my magic to clear away enough of the snow in front of the door for us to reach it, I pounded on the door, trying to rouse an answer, and I was just beginning to think she wasn't inside at all when…

_Creak_… "Twilight…?" Fluttershy opened the door a crack and peered out, she looked exhausted and pale.

"Fluttershy, you're here… good, look, bad things are happening in town, Celestia told us all to go to the Sweet Apple Acres farm, I have Sweetie Belle and Spike in the cart, Big Macintosh is pulling us there, get something warm on and…" I trailed off, her expression hadn't changed at all throughout my slight tirade, she looked… worn. "Fluttershy… are you ok?"

"I guess… I'm all alone here, I was just making dinner… come in," she answered in a flat monotone as she opened the door wider to allow us entrance.

"Uhm… sure, but we can't stay, we have to get to the farm, you are coming with us aren't you?" I said as Marelyn and I stepped tentatively into the dark cottage, there weren't any lights and none of the candles were lit either. "Fluttershy, don't you think it's a little, uhm, dark?" I asked, she didn't respond, just closed the door, stopping the flow of snow-flakes and icy wind and went into the kitchen.

"Twilight, Fluttershy seems somewhat… ill," the Mayor noted quietly, I nodded in agreement, something about this whole situation felt… wrong.

"Fluttershy? Where's Angel at? Usually he's here kicking at my hooves or has at least lobbed a carrot in my direction," I asked with a tone of forced joviality.

Fluttershy came back out with a set of plates balanced delicately in her mouth and laid them out, "Oh, he went to sleep, it's so cold out you know, the animals don't like it when it's this cold."

I nodded, wondering if that was the reason, Fluttershy always got lonely when winter rolled around because her animal companions all went into hibernation. She came back out with a stew and set it on the table, "Fluttershy, you know I'm always happy to eat your cooking but… we really don't… we don't…" my nose rankled at the smell drifting off of the stew pot, something about it smelled… foul. "Uhm, Fluttershy, can you smell that?" I asked softly, a growing sort of nameless fear welling up in my chest. Something was wrong, something was very, very wrong here.

Fluttershy gave a slow and tired grin as she looked over at me, "Oh, it's supposed to smell that way, see?" she lifted the lid of the pot releasing a wave of putrescent stench.

The mayor and I instinctively covered our noses at the smell, "Oh Celestia, Fluttershy what… what is that?" I asked, but faltered at the look on Marelyn's face, it was twisted into a furious glare, I'd never seen her show that kind of emotion before.

"Whatever you are, you are not Emilé Fluttershy," she practically growled.

"Aww… but Angel Bunny worked so hard to prepare this meal, he put his whole body into it…" the Fluttershy-thing whispered, a mad sort of glint growing in her eyes as her mouth stretched into a grin… then continued to stretch, the sickening sound of ripping flesh came as her grin tore the flesh raggedly as if along a poorly sewn seam up the sides of her face revealing needle-like teeth, black ichor began to drip from her eyes which had grown wide and bloodshot. The thing that wasn't Fluttershy stood up on all fours, the aggressive posture was completely alien to the Fluttershy I knew, and somehow she seemed larger than she should have.

The mayor and I back up as the creature moved forward, its gait was… salacious… her hips swayed almost provocatively as she glared at us through bloodshot and dripping eyes. I gagged as I saw bits of her mane and coat falling in diseased bits, bare flesh revealed underneath to have a pallid pallor like a disease victim, her mouth stretched impossibly wide as she howled and launched herself at us, the ruined mess of her wings propelling her forward with more speed than they had any right to in their state. We leapt to opposite sides and the Flutterbeast landed badly on the loveseat in the corner, it toppled over against her weight and I heard a cracking sound, like breaking bone…

"Ooh… that felt gooooood…" it whispered as it rose, it's head hanging at an impossible angle, it's wide and bestial maw lolling brokenly, the voice hissed from inside her throat as her head slowly right itself, fitting back into place with several disturbing cracks as the vertebrae snapped back into place, her jaw realigned itself of its own accord and slid back into place as well with a dull pop. Its eyes rolled in its head as it looked from me to the mayor, "I think I'm in the mood for… WHITE MEAT," she howled as she leapt from the wrecked loveseat.

"Marelyn!" I yelled as I turned to try and blast it out of the air with a burst of telekinesis and wishing fervently that I'd spent more time learning combat magic. Marelyn was ahead of me though, dropping low and lunging forward rather than trying to back out of the creature's superior reach, she slid beneath the thing as it flew over her, it roared its fury as it landed and hack a gobbet of black ichor onto the floor.

"I'll pick your tender flesh out of my teeth with your bones you little foals…" it whispered menacingly, the foul parody of Fluttershy's mellifluous voice slithering blasphemously out its throat. It circled around us, still eyeing the mayor, I was at a loss, it was too fast, and I couldn't target her quickly enough to let out a blast of force that would hit her without endangering the mayor…

I saw Marelyn twitch her head to the right, as if she had a fly in her ear, it was an ungraceful movement for a mare like… and again… twitch to the right and behind her.

The coin finally dropped, the window, it must be dark for a reason so…

The thing lunged forward again this time keeping low this time to deny the mayor her previous method of escape, Marelyn had sidled into place just in front of the back window though so now…

"NOW TWILIGHT!" the mayor yelled, charging forward again, bucking her back hooves against the wall beneath the window to propel her forward and up to collide violently with the creatures skull, I heard a sickening crack but I had turned away just as they had moved and focused, loosing a torrent of energy at the window blowing not just the window out, a hefty chunk of the wall, I looked back to see Marelyn lying prone on the floor, unconscious. I screamed as I saw the thing bite into her side with relish, we had been wrong, we had been completely…

The thing screamed as light struck it, meager though it was the light was now pouring in. I saw its fur blackening and slough off like thick mud, it tried to back into the darkness but thanks to Marelyns gambit it had overcommitted. It staggered back, its joints creaking audibly before snapping like dry twigs, it fell to the floor, a huddled, screaming, twitching torso, as black ichor poured from the rents that were opening in its flesh. I seized Marelyn by the tail and dragged her away from the expanding pool. I thought I had seen horrible things in that place… that castle… but this was different… it was like Rainbow Dash all over again only worse somehow. I heard a sound like dry wood splintered and what was left of the thing's rib cage splintered open allowing an ichor-soaked book to tumble out of the unholy mess. I nudged it with a touch of arcane power before lifting it and opening the pages which were somehow untouched, it was Fluttershy's diary, the one the doctor in Trottingham had told her to start. I remembered her bringing it over to the Library one day, she seemed disturbed by something in it, and it had gotten even worse apparently, the insides had been covered in scribbles that she hadn't put there, she said found it in strange places that she hadn't left it sometimes and more scribbles kept appearing. I shook my head; something had been reaching for her and I… I hadn't seen it, I had failed… and now Fluttershy was…

Tears starting rolling down my face as I realized what must have happened to Fluttershy, what that thing must have done to her.

"Oh… oh Celestia… I'm so sorry Fluttershy, I'm so-"

My words were cut off by a loud THUNK around the corner; I sat up, hoping against hope. I fumbled with the latch to the front door, finally I just swore, pointed my horn at it, and blew it open, Macintosh stood up straight looking around, "M-Miz Twa'light?" he stuttered out as I shook the splinters out of my mane.

"James, get in her, the Mayor is hurt, I'll be right back, I'll explain everything in a bit," I turned and went back into the cottage, turned the corner and found…

A carving knife slammed partway into door leading to Fluttershy's pantry.

I edged around the weapon carefully, remembering the attack in the Library, once I was positive the blade wasn't going to suddenly free itself and attack me I sidled up next to the door and pressed an ear to it.

I heard a soft sobbing sound coming from within.

"FLUTTERSHY?" I practically screamed, I heard the sobs immediately stop with a small hiccup.

"T-twilight?" her voice was pinched and strained, like she was biting back pain, I pointed my horn at the heavy padlock on the door's frame and it fell open with a surge of power. The stink of unwashed pony and sickness hit me; I gagged slightly before moving down the stairs into the darkened pantry.

"Fluttershy, you're alive… I thought you might be… that the thing out there might have…" I said as I moved in the darkness, I wasn't able to finish the thought, the idea of losing another friend was too painful to even put into words.

"Twilight… where is she?" Fluttershy whispered.

"Gone, she boarded up the windows, I guess light didn't agree with her, I'll tell you all about it on the way to the farm," I answered, snooping around for a candle before just shaking my head and conjuring some more light, my reserves of magic were getting dangerously low. The light glimmered softly as my head started to ache, a forewarning that I was stretching myself too thin; I caught a glimpse of a pastel coat scooting away from me. "Fluttershy, come on, we're going to Sweet Apple Acre's, Celestia told me to bring every I can find there."

"I… I d-don't think I'm in any shape t-to go anywhere Twilight…" Fluttershy said, her voice raw and halting.

"What? Fluttershy wha- Oh Celestia…" all of my thoughts fell to shambles as my light spread over my friend who was laying propped up against the wall. Her face was a tightened in a grimace of extreme pain, and I could see why; Fluttershy's forelegs ended in two bloody stumps where her knees used to be, the ragged wounds were crudely wrapped in bandages made from torn food bags. Her eyes were haunted and distant, as she struggled to stay conscious.

"She took my legs Twilight…" she whispered, tears threatening her eyes, I thought then that the only reason she wasn't crying was because she'd cried all of her tears out already, "I'm sorry…"

I could only stare aghast at what I was seeing; by some miracle Fluttershy's medical knowledge had kept her from bleeding out but…

"T-t-there's medical supplies at the f-farm Fluttershy… c'mon… we'll get you better…you'll be fine…" I said haltingly, trying to find words to comfort her, "C'mon… just… I'll carry you out ok? Just… hold on."

She shook her head, "Twilight-"

"SHUT UP! I'M GETTING YOU OUT OF HERE AND THAT'S FINAL" I snapped, I shook the panic off and moved towards her, "I'm sorry I yelled, but I'm not losing another friend you hear me Fluttershy? Now get the buck on my back or so help me I will kick you up the stairs."

She sniffled a little but nodded, I backed up and knelt down, she managed to stagger on her back legs and lower herself gently down using her wings to balance. As soon as she was secure I stood, staggering under the sudden weight, I had carried her before though and I could do it again. The arcane exhaustion was starting to tell though; I staggered up the stairs and carried her up to the living room.

I looked out into the cold and shook my head, looking around I spied some blankets to wrap her in, "Fluttershy, do you have any cleansing tinctures or tonics? Anything to help with the… the wounds?" I asked softly.

"Uhm… I do… in the cupboard in the kitchen, below the sink, the first bottle on the left," she answered, straining, I knew that stay conscious was becoming difficult.

"ok… ok… how do I… rrrrgg…. JAMES!" I screamed, I heard the pounding of hooves and suddenly the light from the doorway was eclipsed by a Big Macintosh's massive red frame.

"Wha's wrong Miz… Oh mah Celestia… Miz Fluttershah…" even he was staring agape at her wounds but he gathered himself far more quickly than I had, "Miz Twa'light, thar any cleanin' supplies about?"

"I nodded, below the sink, first on the left, quickly, and grab some of those blankets to wrap her in; we can't take her out in the cold like this."

Big Macintosh nodded and went to retrieve the items; he came back as I finished gathering the cushions from the destroyed loveseat and was laying Fluttershy down on them as gently as I could with what little magic I could still muster without a blinding headache to soften her descent. Big Macintosh by-passed me and immediately went to work, unwrapping the make-shift bandages carefully with a dexterity belied by his giant hooves, I gagged at the smell, I knew that was bad, the medical texts I'd read said that if wounds started to smell like that… Moments later he was done, clean white strips of cloth where the dirty brown wrappings had been before, she was breathing a little easier too now that she was wrapped warmly in the blankets.

"Alright, can you carry her out? Looks like I'm walking from here on, with Mayor Mare out and Fluttershy… like she is… they need all the room they can get," I said as I helped the bundle of Fluttershy and blankets onto Mac's broad back.

We moved her out and into the back of the cart, I gave Spike explicit instructions not to unfurl the blankets and to keep an eye on both Fluttershy and Mayor Mare, he nodded with the stoic obedience I had come to rely on from him.

"Twi…light…" Fluttershy's voice was a whisper, but it was different, it was weak and low, instead of soft and shy.

"Yea? Are you comfortable? Can I get you anything before we leave? Something to eat or dri-" I stopped as she paled at my words.

"N-no… n-nothing… to eat… nothing…" she whispered.

I moved in closer and motioned Spike away, he nodded, took Sweetie Belle by the hoof, and dropped off the wagon.

"Fluttershy… what happened to you? What did she…?" I started; part of me didn't want to know the answer.

Tears started flowing unbidden from Fluttershy's eyes at my question as she shook her head, "no… I don't… I don't w-want… to remember… my legs… Twilight… Twilight…"

"Fluttershy…" I said softly, nuzzling close to her, letting her cry on my shoulder for a while, at the end she whispered into my ear five words took several moment to register, it felt like my mind was trying to reject what she had said.

"…she made m-me… e-eat them…"


	9. Chapter 7

I don't think any of us spoke during the rest of the journey to the Acre's. Marelyn had come to a few minutes after we left the cottage but she drifted off again. I couldn't think of that hut as Fluttershy's home anymore, I don't think she'll be able to either, I think if we all get out of this we'll burn it down. That nameless tune was howling in my ears the whole way there, I knew it was her, the mare in the snow, I thought she was near somewhere but too far to be seen, I prayed she was far enough away that the snow could cover our tracks before she caught onto them. Then again I had the feeling if she (it?) was really predisposed to find us she probably could, I don't think she saw in the same way normal ponies do.

The great orchards started to show up soon enough, true to form Mac had brought us to the Acre's, the snow-covered trees were wilting in the unnatural cold. In spite of everything that had happened found myself worrying about Applejacks' business, would she recover? She was going to lose the entire crop unless we brought things back under control quickly. I smiled softly to myself as I banished the thoughts from my head, even there in walking next to the cart that carried Fluttershy who was cradling her mutilated forelegs and Mayor Mare's, sleeping fitfully as she nursed fractured bones and bruises, I still thought everything would be ok. What a foal I was.

"Twilight?" Fluttershy's soft tones came out from beneath the dozen or so blankets covering the cart.

"Fluttershy?" I trotted back to her through the snow, "A-are you ok? Can I get you any-" I stopped at the look on her face as she shook her head.

"Twilight… I have to know… Did you… see Angel?"

My heart dropped out of my chest, it must have shown my face because her eyes suddenly became distant.

"O-ok… I didn't think… but… I hoped... that… I…" Her voice cracked and broke for a moment as tears started to flow unbidden down her cheeks, "Thank you Twilight. You saved my life, I owe you everything." Fluttershy huddled back into the blankets that kept her wounds warm and safe from the ruthless cold of the winds that were roaring outside the cart. I heard dry wracking sobs coming from the shadows, Spike wrapped his arms around her and Sweetie Belle nuzzled against her side, my heart broke all over again for her.

I shook off the grief and hardened my gaze, I wasn't going to let this be the end, this had an end and I was going to find it, the princess was giving us time and I was going to use it. I saw the peaked roof of the Apple family household, the huge barn next to it and all the trees surrounding, I prayed again, this time begging whatever fate might be watching that we'd find refuge in that house, not another nightmare.

I muscled my way through the snow, my joints and muscles were screaming at the exertion, I didn't have a lot left and it was telling as I finally made my way up the steps to the porch of the Apple Family house and slammed my hoof against the door a few times, I was ready to run, I had enough left burst to throw me back to the cart. Mac was ready to bolt in case things got bad again.

"W-who's there?" a tremulous voice came out, "ain't never heard a monster what knock'd afore."

"Granny Smith?" I exclaimed, joy leaping in my heart. Granny Smith was the venerable matriarch of the Apple Family and was from a generation of frontiersponies who helped settle large portions of the land. Braeburn and his ilk were only the latest in a long line of Apple ponies who have settled the fringes of ponydom.

"Is that little Miss Sparkle ah hear?" The door creaked open and Grannies wrinkled countenance peered out. "Oh dearie, come in now, it'll be yer death out there if'n ya stay in the cold."

Her face was well-worn and full of a lifetime of family and kindness, the ponies of Ponyville call her the core of the apple, and it's no wonder why. As soon as I was inside I found myself swaddled in a thick knit blanket, I let out a soft sigh as I sank into its warmth before remembering everypony outside.

"Big Macintosh, bring everypony in, it's safe!" I called out Big Mac just smiled and nodded before beginning the process of unhitching himself, "Spike! Is Mayor Mare awake?" The little purple dragon popped out of the blanket covered back of the cart at my question, leading a shaky but thankfully conscious and mostly recovered Mayor Mare by the hoof as she found her footing in the thick snow. "Big Mac, when you're done bring Fluttershy in!" I called out before turning back to Granny Smith, "Uhm, Granny, our friend Fluttershy… she's hurt really badly and… do you have anything that can help?"

Granny Smith gave a good-natured huff, "Girlie, ah've been stitchin' up hurts of all kinds since ah was a filly, comes with workin' the farm, accidents happen, some of'em a lot worse'n others." Granny began trying to pull out a large chest from beneath the stairs, I gave a little help with my magic but even that small effort brought on a sickening wave of vertigo. "Here ya go, we got anythin' ya need in that there trunk. Ain't a doctor's office but it'll do ya right for."

I nodded thankfully as Mayor Mare joined me, still a little shaky on her feet but otherwise unharmed from her knock-around with that… thing.

"Where's Spike?" I asked quizzically as she moved slowly into the living room and found a spot next to the roaring fire, something I fully intended to take advantage of once Fluttershy was settled.

"He's helping Big Macintosh get Fluttershy onto his back," her eyes fall at the name, "That poor dear…"

I nod, "I know Marelyn, but there's nothing more we could have done, we saved her life though, that's worth the world to me, and I don't want to lose another friend."

"Oh mah, you poor thing…" Granny Smith's voice cut in from the entranceway, Big Macintosh must have brought Fluttershy in. "James, take her upstairs ta yer ma's old room, noponie's usin' it anyway, ah'll get the wrappin's fer her new bandages."

"Uhm, Granny, is Applejack around? I haven't seen her," I asked, shivering as I came in from the warmth of the living room.

Granny slid the door closed and nodded, "She's out about the barn ah reckon, gettin' the harvest below grounds where it's dry, when the snow started a'comin down everypony ran out to save what we could o' the apples."

"Ok, well when she comes ba-" my voice died in my throat as my ears pricked up, the song, and it was louder… no… it was getting louder, even now I could hear more clearly than a moment ago. I rustled through the medical trunk, it had every manner of basic necessity a farmhouse might need, painkillers, gauze in thick swathes, splints, etc… I grabbed some of the stronger painkillers and dropped three down my throat. "Granny, do you have any restorative draught like they have at the clinic? I need energy, something is coming and if my magic is worn out then I'm no good to anypony."

Granny Smith didn't ask any questions, she just disappeared into the kitchen for a moment before reappearing with a thick clay jug. "Not too much now y'hear? I conjure this'll put the shimmer back in yer horn right quick."

I nodded as the painkillers started to kick in; I levitated the jug to my lips and took a generous swig. The effect hit me like Big Mac's kick, my head swam for a moment before warmth started to spread through my limbs. It wasn't quite like the draughts the medical clinics use to keep ponies awake or give them energy; it had a liquorish taste to it as well.

"Careful now Missie, ah've seen unicorns on this stuff, makes things ok for a spell but after it wears off you'll be cursin' yer mother's womb." She warned, I could only nod and grab my scarf and winter coat, I didn't have a choice, if I didn't go out there and warn them about the mare… I didn't want to think about Applejack being caught unaware by that bitch.

"Take this for Applejack," Granny said as I was stepping into the cold, she handed me a saddle-flask, probably full of the same drink I'd just had a sip of.

"I'll be back with her and everypony else I find," I said as I stared out into the forbidding cold, the song of the mare wailing its despairing timbre in my ear.

The wind had become a whiteout, yet another sign that she was close, too close by half. I remembered where the barn was easily, I had walked the ground with Applejack more times than I could remember, happier times when we were all still whole and certain events at Sugarcube Corner had yet to be exposed to the horrible light of day. I focused and reached the well of magic within me more easily this time, I projected a soft shell around myself to break the worst of the wind and snow, I didn't want to wear myself out too badly but I needed to see where I was going. Soon enough the massive barn doors came into view; they were partially ajar though it looked as though they were twitching… I decided somepony must be inside attempting to close them against the gale so I pressed forward, reaching the closest thing to a gallop that I could in those conditions.

"WAIT! WAIT FOR ME!" I cried out, I doubted anypony would hear me over the howling wind and that horrible song, but…

"Well c'mon sugarcube, ah ain't waitin' much long'r ya hear?" Applejack's voice responded, I breathed a soft sigh of relief into my muffler, she was ok. Suddenly the song changed pitch, it became a wail, and it was hard to discern where it came from but…

"There…" I whispered mostly to myself, through a drift of snowfall I saw a cream-coated stallion fleeing; and behind him… "Oh Celestia, no…" I started towards him desperately but I knew it was pointless, I knew that I was too far away and the snow bank too thick to reach him, tears stung and froze against my eyes as I staggered towards him in time to see the mare burst out of a drift in a full gallop. She was moving over the snow in that eerie weightless manner, leaving only hoofprints but no other marks. In moments she was on him, Caramel Apple I think his name was, he was a nice pony, kind and sweet, he didn't deserve to go that way; nopony deserves to go that way…

The leapt on him, bear him down to the snow, gravity seemed to assert itself on her once more as she brought him down beneath the icy white and out of my sight. Until the wind stopped, all the gale-force winds, the interminable howling, it all stopped for a split second. It picked back up centered entirely on her, the snow cleared in an instant, like leaves before a great wind to reveal the mare with her head outstretched to the sky, singing that sad and despairing song. Caramel struggled but the wind caught him like solid bonds, lifting him up in front of her, I could see him screaming but the noise of the winds that restrained him was too much. Then the cutting began, at first it was small, the wind shear a slice into his flank, tears began boiling down the mare's face like hot pitch as she sang, every note sliced deeper into Caramel's body til the snow around him took on a reddish hue.

I tried to tear my eyes away, I swear I tried, but I couldn't… I just couldn't. At first there was only the sound of the wind, the mare-song, and a dull droning that I think must have been Caramel screaming… then there was a sound like meat being ripped apart, a horrible wet tearing sound. Then the wind stopped. There was a dull cracking sound as the body was torn apart by the arctic winds.

The… thing… that was at one point the pony called Caramel Apple dropped to the ground. It wasn't even recognizable anymore; it could have been almost anything. Anything that was red and ropy and smelled like a charnel house. I gagged, backing away as the mare continued to howl her dirge into the sky, she hadn't noticed me yet, I backed slowly towards the barn and ran to the door, levering it open with magic before slamming it shut and dropping the crossbar over the lock.

"T-twilight?" Applejack stepped into the dim light of a sputtering lantern, eyeing me cautiously.

"Applejack, thank Celestia you're ok, we have to… to…" Applejack backed away as I approached, "Applejack, what's wrong?"

"Twilight… uhm… a-are ya'll alright?" she asked carefully, she was defensive, I stepped back and blinked.

"Yea, I'm… well… no… not fine but… I'm not hurt or anything, why?"

"Cuz… yer… uhm… that's… blood?" suddenly I recognized the look on her face; she was scared, and disgusted.

"W-what?" I answered shakily, lifting a hoof to my face; it came away sticky and red. "Oh… that…" My vision doubled. Blood. I was covered in Caramels blood. It was all over my face… I hadn't realized it because I was numb from the cold but… "Applejack I… It's… I mean…" Applejack began backing away.

"Darlin' I don' know whose blood that is but you got yourself some explainin' ta do," the look on her face was fierce, and angry.

"AJ, there's a thing, outside, it looks… kind of like a mare, but it's not, it's a monster, a horrible horrible monster," I started to explain, "It's white with pitch-black eyes, and it makes a sound like a song. It almost killed Mac and me in town and… it… got Caramel…" I finished softly, unable to look my friend in eye.

"C-…Caramel? Wada mean got'im? Ya mean like it took him?" she asked hopefully, her eyes desperate for any answer than the one I had to give her. I shook my head. "Oh… oh no… that ain't right… it's just nah right… he wasn't supposed ta go like tha'… I…" she stuttered, tears started to stream down her face. I used a nearby cloth to clean the blood off my face before moving slowly over to her and wrapping my hooves around her shoulders, she buried her face in my neck and sobbed her heart out, curled up on the dirty barn floor as the mare sang Caramel a dirge over the miserable wreck of his corpse outside.


	10. Chapter 8

She cried for a few minutes, I let her get it out; losing someone is hard, we both found that out the hard way when we lost Pinkie and Dash. I guess some ponies would think you'd get hardened to loss, that you'd eventually be able to deal with it easier than the first time, but you don't. Every pony is different, every pony means something different, so every loss hurts as much as the last, but in new and different ways.

"A-ah'm alrigh' now Twilight," Applejack sniffled as she gathered her courage, she knew what despair could do to a pony better than any of us, that moment in the courtyard of that horribly phantom place taught us all that much.

"Ok, we need to get inside then," I answered, I knew better than to question her state of mind, I knew she wasn't 'alright' but at the moment I needed her to be able to fake it long enough for us to get somewhere safe. "The mare is still out there, I've seen it a few times now, it seems like anytime it sees a pony it goes crazy, usually it looks almost… sad… until it sees somepony move, then it, I don't know, changes."

"Doesn't matter, tha' thing out thar took one o' my kin, and it is gonna pay out o' its hide, y'hear me?" Applejack said in a soft and deadly voice.

"I know 'Jack, when this is all over we can do that, but right now…" a notion dawned on me, cutting my train of thought like a machete, "Applejack? Where's Applebloom?"

Applejack's eyes went wide at her younger sisters name, "Oh, damn it all, no way no how is that thing out thar takin' mah little sister," the orange-cream mare erupted off of the dirt floor and galloped to the doors of the barn, "Applebloom was helpin' the others bring in bushels of apples. She's still out there Twilight and we are not goin nowhere til she's safe ya got tha'?"

I nodded, I wasn't about to leave the little filly to the mercies of the mare.

The snowstorm had abated somewhat, I took that as a good sign, "C'mon Applejack, its clear enough, but keep your eyes open."

"Uh, not that ah'm questionin' yer eyesight but, how in the blazes can you tell it's clear? Ah can't see two hooves in front o' my nose."

"The snowstorm isn't as bad as it was, that's how I can tell she's not near anymore…" I whispered back as we snuck through the snow. I tried to think of a good way to phrase it; Applejack had a tendency to drift off when I started talking about magic. "I guess it's like this, that mare, she carries the snowstorm with her, or at least, she makes it a lot worse when she's around."

"So, since the snow ain't so bad anymore… it means that the mare ain't near?" She asked, that note of incredulity she always had in her voice when I tried to explain metaphenomena.

"Well, yea basically… it's still strong enough that I figure she probably hasn't left the grounds of the farm yet but it gives us a window," I answered. "So where should we look? I mean… this is a big farm…"

Applejack scoffed, "Yea, but it's Applebloom, she's got sharp eyes, ah don' doubt that… so long as she's still safe that is… that she saw what happened ta Caramel… probably bolted fer the first safe place she could think of."

"The farmhouse?" I asked hopefully.

"Naw," Applejack answered and I felt my heart sink, I guessed it wouldn't be that easy, "The Crusaders Clubhouse."

The treehouse wasn't far exactly, not normally, but these weren't exactly normal circumstances. I found myself begrudging every single step, sure that the singing would suddenly reach a fever pitch and that psychotic mare would come barreling out of the foliage, pitch dripping from her eyes.

"Applejack, I have to tell you something…" I said softly as we walked cautiously through the orchard.

"Mhm? Wha's that Twilight?" Applejack answered, her gaze still on the ground, scanning for tracks, I'd told her the mare wasn't the only dangerous creature here.

"The princess, before she left for Sugarcube Corner, she told me that she'd been searching…" Applejack looked up and met my gaze, "for replacements." I finished.

"And uh, what exactly is she tryin' ta replace?" Applejack asked, one eyebrow crooking skyward.

"The Elements 'Jack, she's looking for-"

"No"

I winced, I knew Applejack wouldn't take it well, Rarity was fairly pragmatic, and Fluttershy was understanding, but Applejack was different, she was as loyal to any of us as if she were the Element of Loyalty itself. I knew telling her that the princess was trying to find new ponies to take up the elements would feel like she was trying to replace our friends.

"Applejack, Equestria needs the Elements of Harmony," I said firmly.

"Listen ta me close-like Twilight: Ah. Don't. Care." Her eyes and voice burned with a ferocity I wasn't accustomed to, I backed away. "Ah don't care if Equestria needs the Elements, ain't nopony gonna wear that necklace while ah'm the Element o' Honesty, y'hear?"

"Applejack that's not fair, you know we can't use-"

"AH DON'T CARE!" she roared, it echoed through the branches and cause a few drifts of snow to drop from the trees.

"Applejack…"

"AH AIN'T GONNA LET NOPONY WEAR HER NECKLACE," she yelled, advancing on me as I backed up.

"Applejack you're-"

"AIN'T NOPONY GONNA REPLACE HER!" she moved forward until I was backed against a tree.

"-voice is too-"

"DO YA UNDERSTAND THAT?" she finished, breathing hard and glaring harder.

"Applejack… you're too loud you might-"

The song grew louder as the pitch rose and the flurries of snow grew stronger.

"Oh… ah… ah'm sorry Twilight… ah fergot that…" she whispered as she backed away from the direction the noise was coming from.

"No time for that now, we need to run!" I exclaimed, getting my hooves under me properly and bolting, Applejack took off next to me.

The song was stronger now, it was definitely coming for us, we had to get the girls out of the forest before it was too late, and I briefly considered trying to draw it off but decided against it. The girl's clubhouse was too close, if she got a whiff of them there was a chance she might go for the girls instead, even if it was just a small chance I couldn't risk it. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to those two. We galloped hard, the snow was thick but so long as we kept the mare to our backs we were running away from the harshest of the storm. I saw the clubhouse appear in the distance and a brief flash of a small filly moving inside it, Applejack had been right, they were there.

I ignored the stairs and leapt straight up to the entrance using my magic to give me the height I needed and opened the door a bit too hard, it crashed open. Scootaloo and Applebloom screamed for a second before realizing who was there.

"T-twilight?" Scootaloo was the first to recover, "W-what's going on? It's cold and there are things out there in the trees."

Applejack showed up a moment later, "C'mon girls, no time fer twenty questions, we got something big n' bad on our tails and it ain't… lettin'…" she trailed off as she cocked her head to one side, "hey Twilight, do you hear that?"

I looked at her strangely, "Of course I hear that, the song is…" I trailed off too, realizing what she meant, the song was gone. "How can it be gone though? It's always… Oh no…" I ran to the window and tore the heavy curtains opened, "Oh… Damn."

The snow had been replaced by ash, the numbing cold by a sort of omnipresent muffling heat; the sky was a scorched wound. It was that world, the dark place, and now it had brought us all here, not just me this time, but Applejack and the girls too.

"Twilight…" Applejack was at my side looking out the window, "W-what… where in Equestria are we?"

"Remember what happened at Sugarcube Corner? We were taken to a dark mirror of the Canterlot Castle right? Well… I guess you could say there's a whole world, a whole 'Other Equestria' that's like that place." I explained slowly, trying not to give the two little fillies we were with anything more to be terrified about.

Applejack blanched, "T-that place? A whole… oh well… damn." She sat down stared at the floor for a minute, Applebloom cantered over and nuzzled against her, comforting her sister, she didn't need to know why, just that she needed it. Part of me wished I'd had a sister for that reason. I shook my head, as I remembered, I did have sisters, three of them now, and they needed me.

I opened my mouth to speak but as I did a soft knock came at the door to the clubhouse, it was slow and almost… prim.

Tap. Tap tap.

Tap. Tap tap.

We looked at each other before Scootaloo smiled and trotted over, "W-wait," I hissed softly.

Tap. Tap tap.

"Don't worry Twilight, I know that knock, I hear it every time I get picked up to come over to Sweetie Bell's," she said confidently.

Scootaloo opened the door and I braced myself, moving towards her to pull her away in case it was a crazed monster.

Rarity stood on the other side, bedraggled and worn looking, but alive and well.

"Hey Rarity!" Scootaloo said with that goofy grin she wore so often.

Rarity smiled softly, "Hi Scootaloo," she looked up at us, "Hi girls… come on, we can only travel through this place for a short time before it becomes too dangerous."

"W-what?" I said incredulously, not the most intelligent response I grant you but I was very confused.

Rarity shook her head, "I'm sorry Twilight, there's something coming and we have got to move." She turned and left the clubhouse, Scootaloo on her heels, the smile she wore was a bit weaker but she went along with Rarity, I had no choice, I followed, with Applejack and Applebloom in tow.

We got out into the field of ash; the trees here were all twisted parodies, diseased or dead with no foliage to speak of.

"Rarity, back at the Library, what was-" I said but Rarity raised a hoof to cut me off.

"I'm sorry about that Twilight; I tried to tell you… I didn't want…" She shook her head, "Not here, later I'll explain if we have time darling, but right now we don't."

I nodded, then froze as I heard a shuffling behind us, Rarity snapped around, her eyes fearful. I followed her gaze and saw what she was staring at, a massive workhorse, bigger even than Big Macintosh's huge frame. It looked… dead. Its eyes were lit with a burning effervescence; its coat was a sort of sickly gray blotched with mud as if it had just crawled out of a grave somewhere. Its mane was long, wretched, and completely unkempt and it covered much of its face. Worst of all was its neck; a thick steel collar was fit around it with bolts that were apparently drilled directly into its flesh securing it.

It let out a slow huff, Rarity whispered softly to us we stood staring at it in a stalemate, "Run girls, get to the farmhouse."

The thing let out a sound like metal screaming against metal and started towards us, picking up momentum fast, Rarity likewise wailed bolted towards it, Rarity ducking beneath the massive creature as they nearly collided during the charge and latched her teeth, her thin and dagger-like teeth, onto a section of exposed neck above the collar. It swung her about but she gripped like an animal, digging her teeth in, it was one of the most savage things I'd ever seen.

"GO GIRLS! GO!" I shouted, as I turned, scooped up Scootaloo, and placed her on my back, Applejack doing the same with Applebloom.

So we ran, the screaming metal roar of the creature and the despairing wail of my friend as they fought ringing violently in my ears.


	11. Chapter 9

The metallic screams of the beast behind us seemed to follow our group through the dead and wasted trees of the orchard. Applejack had her younger sister on her back, Applebloom had a look on her face like she wanted to scream, her eyes were wide and haunted, and the occasional tear of fright slipped down her cheeks. She had seen the massive thing that had emerged from the forest, but worse than that I fear that she saw what I had seen, a flawless and perfectly shaped white jaw distended horribly, a maw of sharp, needle-like teeth, and a curling rose-red tongue that moved like a serpent. The image of Rarity fighting the thing off was burned into my mind, I glanced down at Scootaloo, her eyes had the same haunted look as Applebloom's but her brow was creased in concentration, she was pushing the memory away til she had time to deal with it. Celestia was right, she was a strong one.

"Applejack, how far?" I called up to my friend, she her face set in a determined mask.

"Not long now Twilight," she called back before turning to her sister, "Ya'll be ok sugarcube, don't you worry none," she whispered, Applebloom nodded softly.

Our thoughts were interrupted by a harsh laugh that echoed over us from the sky; it was dark and carried a sort of contemptuous loathing that tainted the familiar voice it belonged to. I didn't say her name, I couldn't. I knew what it would do to the fillies to see her like she had been in the castle. Torn and mangled, hate burning in her eyes, surgical staples and dirty suture's holding her ruined coat together; I didn't want to think about her, not like that, she had been my friend. Then I remembered that to a certain filly, she had been a great deal more…

"R-rainbow?" Scootaloo skidded to a halt and threw her gaze up, searching for the familiar streak of cyan crossing the sky.

"No, Scootaloo, it's not… It isn't…" I stuttered, trying to find a way to explain to the little filly what that thing was, "It isn't Dash, it's something else… something bad."

Scootaloo looked at me with wide and tear-filled eyes, "But that's her voice, I've heard it a thousand times, I heard her…"

"That's right kid, it's me, c'mon Twilight, don't be such a stick-in-the-mud," my friends' familiar voice came from the tree above us, Applejack had stopped, she was covering her sisters eyes I reached out to cover Scootaloo's but…

"RAINB-…. ow…" Scootaloo whirled around to face her hero with a broad smile on her face, one that died slowly as she took in the wraith what hovered above, "…dash?"

She was just as I remembered, her cyan coat streaked with grime, mud and unhealed scars held clumsily together by filthy sutures and rusty staples that the most hack backwoods sawbones wouldn't use. Her eyes were limned with a fevered light and heavily bloodshot, and her mane hung in tatters. I didn't feel fear, or disgust, or even revulsion at the sight, it was nothing like the first time I saw her in that dark and nighted castle, instead I felt sorrow.

"Hello Dash," I said softly, stepping between her and Scootaloo.

Dash grimaced at my greeting and lowered herself down before comporting herself, "Hmph, what's wrong, miss me Twilight? What about you lover?" she directed her last remark, the last word dripping with bile, to Applejack.

"Shut up you, ah ain't… you ain't… jus' shut up," Applejack hissed in a deadly low voice.

She grinned at Applejacks reaction, "And you about you kid? Didja miss me?" she said, looking down to where I was keeping Scootaloo tucked behind me protectively.

Scootaloo didn't respond, she just stared between my legs at the thing that was pretending to be Rainbow Dash. I couldn't even imagine what was happening in her child's mind, she was young, too young for this by half.

The ash was falling more heavily now, it was becoming hard to breath, the heat was rising as well, it felt like it was sweltering, made several times worse by the fact that we had all just recently been exposed to biting cold.

"Scootaloo, that isn't really Dash, I promise, it's…" I tried to find the words to explain without delving into the metaphysics of what we were looking at. Scootaloo filled it in for me.

"It's something bad," she whispered.

I let out a soft sigh of relief, she had loved Rainbow Dash, worshipped her almost, she knew what Rainbow Dash was and wasn't and she knew when she was looking at a cheap facsimile rather than the real thing. Celestia had been right on the bits, Scootaloo was the one to take up the Element of Loyalty, any doubts I might've had disappeared as she scowled at the thing wasn't Rainbow Dash and backed away.

It glared viciously, I could feel the hate in its gaze but there was something else, I remember thinking at the time, 'Is it afraid?'

"You… all of you…" it hissed, I could hear a horrible sucking sound, coming from inside her body, joints popped with a foul liquid noise, the staples and sutures which seemed to tie her skin together tore violently out of her flesh as she grow, or rather straightened, gaining an extra foot in stature. I could see the wet muscle beneath the ragged flaps of skin that seemed more plastered than anything to the monstrous thing before us. I could barely look at her, my mind was rejecting the thing in front of me, it followed no laws of motion or creation, and I forcibly raised my gaze up, slowly but surely taking the thing's image in.

The legs were wretched, long and spindly and looking as if they required another joint to move properly, her jaw was gone entirely, the sutures that had kept it affixed having popped to allow long serrated fangs to jut from the roof of her mouth. She moved on the tips of her ruined hooves with a sickening kind of grace as bits of ragged flesh and tendon hung from her body, her figure was gaunt and skeletal. The flesh seemed to be barely remaining, no force I could think of was keeping her from falling apart, it was solely the, and I hesitate to use the word but it seems only fitting, blasphemous power of this place was maintaining her… it.

It let out a low hiss that carried a dull kind of scream, Applebloom and Scootaloo screamed with it, and despite their high, shrill voices I felt like I could barely hear them over the deathly rattle that thing was issuing.

"GO APPLEJACK! TAKE THE GIRLS!" I yelled as I released a harrowing flurry of tiny kinetic bolts that shot unerringly into the monster, pushing it back with each impact but leaving her, apparently, undamaged. Applejack snatched up Scootaloo by her tail and took off, as the horror screamed grievously, ruined wings spread out at twice the normal wingspan of a pegasus, they were as torn as the rest of her body, vital muscle hung from gangrenous bone and the whole mess was plastered with rotting feathers, despite all the apparent damage they lifted her impossibly into the air.

"NO. YOU. DON'T" I screamed, summoning a well of kinetic energy above her, suddenly I felt as I were standing at a precipice overlooking a great ocean, I was teetering, a manic fear filled me, the fear of falling, I was too close, too close to the edge, if I went any further I would fall. The creature hiss-roared as the kinetic barrage dropped it to the ground but the impact shattered my concentration and I was sent reeling back to reality, or at least the relatively speaking.

The restraints gone and her shattered bones mending of their own accord the horror lifted up and soared after the Applejack and the girls, screaming through a mutilated throat.

I lifted myself, mentally pushing the raging headache and other hundred bruises and hurts I'd taken over the day to the side, I galloped after them… Applejack couldn't fend that thing off and watch over both the girls, she was only one pony. I heard to high pitched screams and a dull thump ahead, I pumped my legs harder, trying to pry more speed out of my exhausted body. Applejack had her back to a tree, both the girls were cowering beneath her and she was shaking as the thing towered over her.

"Why Applejack?" It's voice was a razor on old leather, "why do you keep hurting me?" Applejack was transfixed, it's voice was in her head, it was doing something to her, getting into her mind, "Why do you hurt me? I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME?" I could feel the psychic trauma radiating out of the horror, she was attacking Applejack's mind.

"Ah….ah'm sorry Dashie… ah didn't…" Applejack shook the influence for a moment, "no... no… you aint her… SHUT UP!" She screamed, the two girls bolted at her yell provoking another hunting cry from the horror as it bounded after Applebloom. Applejack took it in its exposed ribs with a charge, slamming it into a tree, the sharp angles of the creatures bones cut her face up, the creature screamed in delight as it twisted impossibly around and dug it's horrible nest of fangs into Applejacks back repeatedly, blood splattered the ash and the tree's as I leapt at the thing, I put everything into it, riding my kinetic burst on my own momentum as I charged, I felt the speed hit critical velocity then I impacted.

I blacked out for nearly five minutes, I had hit her squarely, I know I did, but my shield was nowhere near powerful to protect me from the back-blow of impacting a solid creature at that kind of speed. My mind swam as I came back to consciousness, I blinked rain out of my eyes, or at least was I thought was rain, I was laying at the base of a tree and something was dripping on me, I looked up and… organs and viscera hung raggedly from the upper half of the horror's body, it's blank stare gazed out over the dying trees, I was laying of something hard and wet, I looked down and saw where her lower half had gone, I had passed out on her ruined flank after my impact had separated her front form her back. She had likely died, or whatever it was those things do, instantly, I could see her rotting her face which had once been covered in albeit rancid flash was a skull picked clean, I was covered in black coagulated blood from that killing blow I'd inflicted. As sickening as it is I couldn't help letting the scientific part of my mind start calculating the force I'd struck with, enough to powder bone on impact at least. I was surprised my skull was still intact.

"APPLEJACK!" the name tore out of my throat and I pulled myself up, too quickly apparently as a wave of vertigo rolled over me, throwing me back to the ground. I pulled myself up again, slowly this time and glanced around I heard hoofsteps behind me and I whirled, the migraine returning as I summoned more magic into my horn.

"T-twilight?" Scootaloo asked softly, Applebloom was shaking behind her.

"Oh… thank Celestia you two are ok… I'm sorry… I must look awful, Applebloom where's your sister?" I directed the last to the little filly behind Scootaloo.

"Ah… ah don' know, Twilight… I can't find her," she said softly, tears brimming at the edges of her eyes, she was scared, terrified, as if she would be anything else, but she was hardy like her sister, she was holding herself together admirably.

"Well, we'll find her in no ti-" the words died in my mouth as I turned and saw the ground where I'd last seen Applejack laying, it was smeared with far too much blood, and there were streaks like something heavy, pony-heavy, had been dragged away into the forest. I felt my heart break softly and choked back the scream of anguish that was building in my throat, I had two little fillies to take care of, Applejack came out here to rescue her little sister, I couldn't go after her, no matter how much I needed to, I kept telling myself that as I gathered the pieces of my mind back together and turned back to the girls, dry-eyed and poker-faced.

"She's probably out looking for the both of you since you went running, I'll bet she figured you'd run for the farmhouse, let's go see if we can catch her up there ok?" I lied softly to them, I felt like there was a hole where all of my organs should be, my stomach ached, my heart ached, and my eyes burned for keeping all the tears I needed to shed back for the sake of the girls.


	12. Chapter 10

After that, things got… fuzzy… and disjointed… I'll relate it in the order I remember.

The sun was shining its morning light softly through the window; it struck my eyes in just such a way that I woke up almost instantly albeit groggily. I grumbled a bit and ducked my head under the covers, trying in vain to hide from the light, it hurt my eyes and I was desperate for a few more moments of blissful and uninterrupted sleep. There was nothing for it though, I was awake and I was staying that way it seemed. I kicked the covers off and slid drowsily onto the floor with a dull and melodramatic *thump*. I heard something creak in the background as I indulged my petulance a little longer and lay there on my belly, unwilling to move after being roused so suddenly before giggling softly to myself as imagined what my friends would think if they walked in and saw me sulking on the floor like a filly who didn't want to go to school. I snorted with derision and lifted myself to my hooves, the day would wait for no mare as the saying went, and went into the bathroom.

The door creaked noisily as I entered and I reminded myself to oil the hinges, I swore one of these days I would actually get around to it. I drew myself a bath, humming softly as I did, I couldn't really remember what it was I was humming, it was one of those songs that just sort of sticks even after the name is long since decayed in your memory. The mirror was cracked, it had been for as long as I could remember, hadn't it? I thought so anyway, I wasn't entirely sure for some reason.

There was that creaking sound again, 'how odd' I thought, and slipped into the bath, enjoying the warm water, it would have to be a quick bath though; after all I had things to do today, so very many things. I couldn't really remember what they were though. Still, that's what to-do lists are for right? I finished my bath and stepped out, drying myself with magic, I knew Celestia disapproved of using magic frivolously, but it didn't really matter, she was gone now. Right? Or… was she? I couldn't remember, I lifted a hoof to my head as a powerful twinge came out of nowhere, setting my eye twitching as I blinked away the pain. It was gone in a moment. I went downstairs, everything was kind of a mess but that was ok, it was just how things were… right? Something was blocking my desk though, I huffed and kinetically lifted it out of the way, I considered just tossing it behind me but for some reason it felt wrong. I sat it gently off to the side and stepped up to the desk.

"Oh my, I really need to clean this place up…" I muttered and I leafed through the mess of papers littering my desk a lot of them were badly… damaged? The twinge came again, pain deep in my head brought tears to my eyes it hurt, then a there was a flash of light, it hurt, the light hurt my eyes.

_A tree, stained with black blood, a figure hung from it, brutalized and torn, its body a twisted mockery of a pony, its lower jaw gone and in its place a nest of curved and wickedly serrated fangs, its forelegs were impossibly long and malformed, they looked incapable of supporting any weight at all but I knew they could somehow. I knew that they carried their owner with a sort of malign grace. An owner that was now pinned to a tree, bloodily torn in half. Why? What… what was it? It felt familiar but…_

I clutched my head and leaned against the desk, the pain had subsided and the nightmarish vision with it, I wrote a note to myself to visit Nurse Redheart before remembering she was gone too, I couldn't remember why though. I shook my head, "It doesn't matter," I muttered to myself and turned back to the library itself, it was a disaster, books falling off of their shelves, trash littering the floor. I shook my head dejectedly; of course they would leave me a mess. I always have to clean things up. I blinked. Then blinked again. Where had that thought come from? Whose mess was this? What had caused it? I tried to ask myself the question but it made my head hurt more. I shook the pain away and went about cleaning it up. I was reluctant to look at the garbage, it was disturbing to me for some reason, and there was something about it that felt off. I couldn't put my hoof on it though so I ignored it and got to sweeping up.

I lifted my hoof to move some papers out of the way, it came away from the floor with a wet *_schlick_* sound. I looked down, my hoof was damp with blood, fresh and crimson. I could suddenly smell smoke and ash, and a choking, cloying stink like a charnel house. My vision trebled and I swayed on the spot, I felt woozy and uncentered, when my vision finally cleared I was no longer standing in my library, I was…

_That smell, the smell of terrible sins and the kind of insanity that drives other ponies mad wafted out. Panic struck, my heart started racing as old primal fears welled up, fear of the abnormal, the dangerous, the truly and terrifyingly insane things that haunt the edges of our worst nightmares. My legs shook even though I didn't know why at the time…_

Memories came unbidden as my heart started trying to beat its way out of my chest. I was in the basement at Sugarcube Corner, the stink of fresh viscera and gore-slick surgical metal stung my nostrils. "no no no no no" I whispered to myself.

"_P-p-pinkie?" I whispered softly, my voice weak as a filly's, "Are y-you in here?"_

My own voice echoed out of the past, I could almost hear it. That horrible creaking came again, it raked at my mind as I remembered why it unnerved me so, I wondered how I'd ever forgotten.

_Pinkamena Diane Pie hung lifelessly from a rafter, swinging to and fro with a steady pendulum-like balance._

"No no no no no…" the word streamed from my lips as quickly as the hot tears of terror rolled down my face, I could feel my innards clench and my mouth go dry, my knee's shaking. I didn't want to see this place again. I didn't want to see the-

_-rubbery streamers hanging from the ceiling, vile looking cupcakes that stank to Canterlot and gone, something else on a slanted slab in the corner. Something with cyan fur and multicolored…_

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed as I slammed my eyelids shut and clamped my hooves over my ears, desperate to shut out the memories, desperate to be anywhere but this place. I could see it all anyway, despite my closed eyes and shut ears I could hear the grinding of freshly sterilized metal slicing at bones, I could see the blood-soaked granite floor, stained over and over until it was a permanent sickly brown color save for those times it was daubed with a fresh coat. I could see the figure of a mare wearing a grisly parody of a party dress, and a pegasus tied brutally to a surgical slab, I didn't want to see it, I didn't-

Suddenly the noise was gone. The images, the memories, they faded. All except…

_Cross my heart…_

I opened my eyes and screamed, I sat bolt upright but immediately dropped back onto the soft surface. I was lying in a bed, it was ratty and a little foul-smelling but it was a bed. I had bandages covering most of my body including my head, I looked to the side and…

"Rarity?" I croaked, my voice was a pale whisper of its former self.

The white pony turned and smiled, it was my friend sitting just to my right tending a small but strongly-burning fire, she was here, she was safe and just as I remembered her, coiffed hair that was well formed if slightly mussed, bright sapphire eyes-

_-her thin and dagger-like teeth-_

I shook my head as the memories came back slowly. We had been walking away from the dead… thing… that had been masquerading as Rainbow Dash except…

…_An immense force, hooves, slammed into the back of my head as we walked away from the scene of the carnage, throwing me forward and into the ground. I tried to rise but I couldn't move, I was stunned and exhausted, my legs wouldn't obey my will, I turned so I could see it though, the thing that wasn't Rainbow Dash had pried itself off the tree and was moving forward with jerking unnatural gyrations. Its internal organs were writhing like pseudopods, helping to propel it forward, the girls were screaming, I was screaming. It dragged itself on its half-destroyed ribcage hissing and snarling pure hatred at us. I knew we were all going to die. I had failed. I had failed Celestia. I had failed Applejack. I had failed the girls. The thing dragged itself forward with one more shuddering gyration and then… something came down on it. Something white and furious, its eyes burned with malignance and as it bit viciously into the creatures neck. I heard a dull crunch as vertebrae snapped apart under the creatures jaw strength. Still it fought on, driving hard-edged and ragged hooves into the white fury's side, throwing her to the ground. Another sickening snap and her neck slid back into place albeit lacking a great deal of flesh the white one rose and hissed maliciously at the thing that wasn't Rainbow Dash as it backed up, drawing her brutalized opponent forward, I didn't know why until… Out of the shadows another one charged, I saw a glimpse of six rancid-looking wings and a strange necklace bouncing against a pink chest, there was a brief sound like a wood-axe cutting through an apple and the creature's head tumbled from its shoulders. I heard voices then…_

_One was soft but definitely a mare, it said "Help me with them, we still have time." The other didn't respond right away, but when it did…_

"_Ok, I'll get the girls", its voice carried an infinite sadness, a sadness I recognized._

"_P-pinkie?", my final words before I lost consciousness completely._

I gripped my head, it was pounding, it seemed that Granny Smith hadn't been joking about the side-effects of that drink she'd offered me. Rarity trotted over to me and put her hoof on my shoulder, gently pushing me downward back to the bed.

"Rest more Twilight darling, you've over-exerted yourself," she said, I'd never been more glad to hear that mildly patronizing tone and I smiled.

"H-how are the…" I was afraid to ask.

Rarity just smiled and nodded, "Applebloom and Sweetie Belle are just fine, as is Applejack." Rarity pointed my prone form to my left and I looked, sure enough there was Applejack, looking just as mangled as I probably did but she was alive and, relatively speaking, well. I let out a sigh of relief that felt like took a few hundred pounds with it and leaned back into the bed.

A thought struck me as I glanced back at my friend, "Rarity, was that… really you? Back in the clearing and again after I got hit by that… thing?"

Rarity looked sad and hesitant but she nodded, "Yes Twilight, I… I'm afraid it was, she turned away from me and started tending the fire.

I hesitated too, I wasn't sure I wanted the answer but…

"W-what…" I started, I tried to find the right words but all I got was the obvious so I decided to just ask, "What are you?"

She flinched as if I'd struck her and I immediately regretted my question, still she turned to face me.

"I don't know, not really, I'm like the things are here I guess, but I'm only like this when I'm…"

"Here here?" I ventured, a dry half-grin working its way onto my face, Rarity giggled softly, mostly dry but with a touch of real humor, and nodded. I shook my head, "But what do you mean 'Only like this when I'm here?' exactly?"

"I don't want to get into it, I'm sorry, but it's not the right time," she answered, turning away slightly. I breathed out slowly and nodded, I had to trust her.

"So how did you… get this way exactly?" I ventured.

She shook her head, "I only know a few details about it, some I can't share right now but… ultimately it was Pinkie who made me this way."

I felt my eyes go wide and my mouth working for a few seconds before processing it. "Pinkie did this to you?" I asked, aghast at the idea, Rarity immediately started shaking her head and put up her hooves.

"No, no it isn't like that, I asked her to do this, it was my choice, Pinkie told me things. Told me about something that was coming, a disaster," Rarity paused for a moment, shifting around uncomfortable before continuing. "She was different from when we saw her in the Castle, I think part of her was… better… like her old self, before… before she lost her mind." I nodded at that, remembering how she had spoken to me back in the alternate version of my library. "At first I didn't believe her, I was terrified of her, I ran and ran but… eventually I realized it was really her, it was really Pinkie. That was when we started talking, she told me things, that after she had died… something had pulled her back, you probably." I grimaced but nodded, Princess Celestia had theorized as much. "After she came back the madness wasn't as strong and after the Castle it was even less so, and that was when she started to remember…"

"Remember what?" I asked, dreading the answer.

Rarity opened her mouth to answer but shut it again, as if she didn't want to say it out loud.

"Rarity…" I pleaded, "Remember what?"

A voice shattered the silence.

"I started to remember why I lost my mind," Pinkie said as she entered.

She looked up with a grim expression on her face.

"Do you want to know?"


	13. Chapter 11

To be honest, I didn't want to know. For all my curiosity, for all my life-long love of knowledge and all the time I'd spent with my friends and Pinkie Pie in particular; some part of me shuddered violently at her offer. I recalled a lesson from ages ago, when I was a filly just a few years into my apprenticeship under Princess Celestia, the lesson was short and succinct, but the gravitas of her tone made me listen, even then her words seemed to echo with greater force than usual. I think, looking back, that the reason was this: I'd never heard her speak in such a deadly serious tone before.

"_Twilight" the princess called, entering the small study she'd allotted to me during my early years, "Twilight come here for a moment."_

_I smiled and trotted over, eager for another lesson from my teacher, even after three years of tutelage I still found myself giggling with delight as each new lesson approached. This time was different though, the look on the Princess's face was different, her brow was furled and her eyes didn't have the almost-mischievous glimmer in them, they were hard and bright as stars, like gems taken from the bones of the world. My trot slowed and I approached my teacher, she was distant at the moment which was unusual, during our lessons she was usually so animated, now it was like looking up at one of the ancient statues of the creators, ageless, timeless, and impossibly removed from the mortal coil._

"_Y-yes Princess?" I asked, trying for a small smile as I sat down in front of her, bowing my head low in deference._

"_Twilight, we have a very serious lesson today, no more practice for now, no more drills on kinetomancy or divination, today I will teach you this lesson and you will spend the rest of the day meditating on it, are we clear?" the Princess stated, it was a tone that brooked no question, so I nodded. She continued on, saying "Twilight, in this world there are numberless wonders, endless vistas of majesty and beauty, realms so wonderful and terrible as to take your breath away..."_

_I nodded, I liked where this was going so far, even if she seemed terribly serious._

"…_but" she leveled off, turning to stare straight into my eyes, her shining, ageless eyes boring into me, "there are some things in this world that were never meant to be seen. Never meant to be touched or detected. Things that were never meant to be known."_

_I didn't know what to say. To me, even at that age, the pursuit of knowledge for the sake of learning seemed almost sacred. The idea that there were things that were out there that I simply wasn't supposed to know or learn seemed… wrong._

_I opened my mouth to protest but stopped, I couldn't find my voice, it wasn't magic that stopped me, it was the look on her face. Her eyes no longer shone, they were like stone now, I realized I wasn't looking into the face of my loving teacher at this moment, I was looking into the face of my goddess. I turned away, averting my gaze as she continued her lesson._

"_I won't lie Twilight, I give credit where credit is justly due, you are the brightest pupil I have ever taught, frankly you are also the most powerful and the most talented. You pick up in a matter of weeks what it takes some unicorns years to master and show no signs of slowing." My heart swelled at the compliments, the Princess was always willing to praise me when I did well but never like this, "But… for these same reasons, you are quite possibly the most dangerous creature in Canterlot, maybe even in Equestria."_

_I finally found my voice at these words, "W-what?" I blurted out, unable to contain myself._

_The Princess lifted a hoof for silence, "let me explain," she said, I nodded and she continued, "you do not just learn, you comprehend, you can utilize most information the moment it enters your mind while it takes many ponies, not just unicorns, a great deal of time to glean all the lessons from their knowledge. It is because of this that I'm worried. If you come across knowledge that's dangerous, and do not doubt that there is a great deal of it, you will not only have the faculties to understand the knowledge, but to use it, what I'm afraid you lack is wisdom, that is no slight against you my little pony, wisdom comes with time, not books. Your love of knowledge may lead you down dark paths however, and if it does I'm afraid of what it might mean. For yourself and for Equestria."_

_"Princess," I started, a my heart hurting from her words, "I would… I would never hurt…"_

_Princess Celestia shook her head, her ephemeral mane drifting like sunlight through summer rain waved lazily in the air as she did. "Twilight I know you'd never purposefully hurt anypony, but unicorns are inheritors of power, and that power is not always controlled, remember your entrance exam?"_

_I lowered my head in shame, I remembered all right, it had seemed funny then but in the context of this lesson… it was horrifying._

_The Princess just nodded, "that is what I mean, of all the words we've shared I want you to take this lesson to heart: 'Some knowledge should be left in the darkness'."_

_I spent the rest of the day crying in my bedroom, I tore several of my favorite books apart, even knocked over my bookshelf. It was one of the worst nights of my life, laying there in that bed sobbing into my pillow, "I'm not a monster… I'm not a monster… I'm not a monster…"_

I took a deep breath.

There were many things in this world that should be left in the darkness, maybe this was one of them…

Maybe whatever it was that drove Pinkie insane, drove her to not only kill but torture and dismember innocent ponies, cannibalize their flesh, desecrate their bodies, and wear their remains, should be thrown to the wind. I knew one thing for certain: I didn't want to know.

Unfortunately… I had there terrible gnawing feeling in my gut that as much as I didn't want this terrible knowledge rattling around in my skull… not knowing it would leave me lacking a crucial piece in this puzzle. Part of me knew that while I didn't want to hear Pinkie's story, that I needed to.

I nodded.

Pinkie closed her eyes and sighed deeply, as if she had been dreading my answer as much as I dreaded her story, we both knew what the outcome of her offer would be though so she sat down. Before she started I had to ask her a question.

"Pinkie… before you tell me I have to know… you're yourself now right?" I asked directly, she gave me a wry and tired smile.

"Heh, yea, I'm me-me, scary-me is mostly gone now," she answered in trademark Pinkie Pie fashion.

I nodded, expecting the answer, "so, why do you still wear that… thing?" I couldn't refer to her outfit as a dress, not knowing what it was made of.

A look of intense sadness passed over Pinkie's face as she answered, "I don't have a choice Twi', they're a part of me now."

"But…" I started, Pinkie cut me off.

"No, I mean it Twi', they're… part of me…" as she said it I saw her dress move, there no wind, no rustling movement, but it didn't just moved, it writhed, I hadn't seen it before because quite frankly I hadn't wanted to look at it, I'd focused on my friends face, but looking at the dress I realized that the body of it seemed form-fitting, rather than loose, it looked… alive.

"Pinkie when you say they're a part of you…" I whispered, horror slowly creeping into my heart.

Pinkie nodded gravely, "All of them…"

I felt my stomach heave. I had thought I was jaded, that I had seen enough to inure me to horrors this place threw in face. I was dead wrong. Pinkie waited quietly as I emptied what little contents of my stomach were left onto the floor beside my cot.

I breathed heavily for a few minutes, sipping at the cup of water Rarity brought over to me after I was finished. Then I looked up, steeled and determined I met Pinkie's gaze.

"Tell me."

I didn't sleep after Pinkie finished telling her story. I couldn't sleep. I felt dead inside, I felt violated.

Everything was my fault.

Everything.

Pinkie's madness. The deaths of all of those ponies including Rainbow Dash. What happened at Sugarcube Corner. All of this nightmare we were living through right now. All of it was my fault.

I had tried to justify it. To justify in my own mind why I had done it. I tried to blame him, to put all the blame up to his machinations… but in the end it was my choice to use them. I had done all of this.

But Pinkie was right about one thing, it had all started with him. Plots within plots, madness within madness, chaos within chaos.

"Discord," Pinkie said.

I blinked a few times before processing what she'd said, "Discord? You're… saying he made you this way? No… that's not right, he made you angry, took away your ability to laugh things off, but you weren't like that, you were still-"

Pinkie stuck a hoof in my mouth and shook her head, "not Discord himself, I mean, it was his fault kind of but then it sort of wasn't but… uhm… we'll get to that. Sorry, I know I'm not making much sense, my Pinkie head hasn't been screwed on quite right since… since my element broke.

"What?" I almost shouted, "No! It wasn't broken, that's impossible, I saw it, I have the necklace, it isn't broken."

Pinkie laughed, "C'mon Twi' you're the magic-pony, remember when Nightmare Moon broke the elements of harmony right in front of us?"

I worked my mouth for a minute before realizing what she was saying, she smiled one her old Pinkie Pie smiles as she saw it dawn on me.

"The element is more than a gem," I whispered.

"I was the one who was broken. I'm not the only one though, we all were… well, except Rainbow Dash."

"-Wait, wait…", despite my desire for some real first-hand knowledge finally I couldn't help but interrupting again, "why not Rainbow Dash, we've always fought side-by-side, we took down Discord together!"

Pinkie sighed and nodded slowly, it was so strange seeing her like this, she was soft-spoken like Fluttershy, she was somehow… reduced… like there was some vital part of her missing, it was almost as if I was looking at a washed out painting that you could tell was once a vibrant portrait full of color and life, but now all that remains is a gray and drab facsimile. At length she responded, "Yes, we did banish him together… it was so much fun, finally being together again, being away from you all was worse than I could have imagined, not distance-wise though…" she scratched her head with her hoof as she search for the words and for a moment I couldn't suppress a smile as I was reminded of Pinkie Pie as she used to be. "…I mean… we were away away but… our hearts were far away from each other, farther than they'd been since the day we met… but remember Twilight, remember? There was a moment… just a little while really… when everyone but Rainbow Dash was present… Do you remember?" She had a pleading look on her face, I wrinkled my nose as I searched my memories for the moment she was talking about…

Then I remembered and the bottom fell out of my heart.

"You do remember then, when it all started, when you tried to awaken the Elements of Harmony inside of us all, not only did you use Spike as a substitute for Rainbow, but you used it when we were… well… when we were too far away," she explained slowly, "our hearts were cold and angry, we didn't feel like friends any more, instead we… we…" she stopped for a moment, choking on the word I knew she was trying not to use.

_We hated each other._

She saw it in my eyes, saw that I understood, and nodded. "Granny Pie used to tell me, 'Pinkie, always remember to leave room in your heart to forgive those what wrong'd you, especially your friends, there's no hate quite so bitter as what used to be love.' But I never really understood what she meant until recently."

I felt the question that I needed to ask sitting on my tongue like a coal, "So… what you're saying is that when we tried to use the Elements of Harmony while we… when we weren't getting along…"

"They broke," Pinkie answered in quite the saddest voice I'd ever heard. "and what used to be laughter became madness…"

"You said we all broke though didn't you? How? No one else went…" I bit off the word 'crazy' before it came out my mouth, Pinkie smiled dryly at my clumsy attempt to spare her feelings.

"Psycho-batty-whackball-bonkers?" she offered, I nodded sheepishly.

"Uh, yea, I didn't feel any different really, and I don't think any of the others did…" I started to wonder though, there was so much we hadn't told each other since the day Pinkie died and we all found out the truth of what had happened. Had we been keeping secrets even before that? Had I been keeping secrets too? I realized I had, I just hadn't realized the importance of them, since we defeated Discord I had started getting headaches, small ones at first, but sometimes they got so bad I couldn't get out of bed for hours. I had just ignored them though, I hadn't wanted to bother my friends with something so mundane. "No… there was something wrong… but how come you…?"

I stopped talking as I looked up at her; tears were rolling down Pinkie's cheeks, "I'm sorry Twilight… I was… I told you I was never really the most stable Pony in the world, when I was a little filly I would sometimes get really sad for no reason… when I got older it just got worse, I even wanted to hurt myself sometimes, just so I wouldn't feel so sad anymore."

I felt my heart breaking with every word, I had never known any of this about her.

"My friends were the only thing that made me happy, I just… I kept telling myself to smile, smile, smile and by making other people happy I could be happy… and it worked…" she was sobbing softly now, I put my hoof on her shoulder and drew my friend into a tight hug as she finished spilling out her soul. "But after Discord I felt it coming back, so I made myself laugh more, threw more parties, tried to make more friends… but I could feel the edges fraying, days were going by in a sort of haze… one after the other, soon two days, then three then a whole week might go by and I wouldn't be able to remember any specific part of it, and that's when I began…" I felt Pinkie shudder, I mentally filled in her sentence.

_That's when I began to kill._

"So the others though…?" I started, trying to steer her away from the memories of what she had done as she stepped back from me.

"You saw AJ while you were all trapped in the Castle remember? How she was so brutal to herself? She took all the blame, it was extreme, almost like she had…" she trailed off, letting me fill in the rest.

"Almost like she'd gone crazy." I said, feeling that hole in my heart widen. "And Fluttershy? Rarity? Even me… we all broke apart in that place?" I grimaced as I remembered Fluttershy on that stained slab, begging to be punished for crimes she thought she'd committed, Rarity feeling so beholden to Dash that she helped her torture us to alleviate her own guilt. I saw Rarity lower her eyes to the ground; she was probably thinking the same thing.

Then I placed the final piece of the puzzle.

"…And my magic became a curse," I whispered, aghast at the truth as I finally realized what had happened, when I tried to force the Elements to awaken despite missing one of our number and feeling antipathy towards each other, it had been like trying to put a key into a lock that didn't fit it, but I didn't just try the key, I had rammed the key in and tried to force the lock. I dropped to the floor as this new revelation sunk in.

"Then… it is my fault… all of it," I whispered to myself.


	14. Intermission: Meanwhile in Canterlot

Curses and Consequences Intermission

Record retrieved from the Royal Canterlot Academy of the Magical Arts.

Two ponies dressed in clean white robes the color and sheen of polished opal strode through a hall deep beneath the academy, deep purple gems set affixed to the wall at measured intervals were glowing to a degree that caused both ponies to keep their heads low so as to shield their eyes from the glare. The Bleed Gems were an artifact of pre-equestrian times created to diffuse excess magical energy along fixed lines to prevent powerful rituals from adversely affecting the environment around them, normally it caused them to glow dimly as the power was distributed amongst the several hundred gems positioned throughout the academy, but then the gems had never needed to bleed off the magic of a goddess for sixteen hours straight before.

The two ponies approached the gate to the primary ritual chamber, two massive colts in heavy golden armour etched with hieroglyphs intended to break apart magical energy halted them.

"State your name, rank, and business," the first guard said in a harsh tone, the hours were wearing on all in the area.

The first pony lowered her hood, a mare with startlingly blue eyes and a cream-white mane that matched her coat, "Mesmer Star, Luminarch, I'm here to relieve Luminarch Shimmer Shine from ritual duty."

The second pony lowered his hood, he was rather ordinary-looking but had kind eyes the color of jade and an earthy brown coat to match his dirty blonde mane, "Astral Ether, Lunarch, here to relieve Lunarch Nova Black."

The armoured pony inclined his head respectfully to the two senior magi and gestured to his fellow guard to open the massive double doors. Beyond them was a chamber built in a way that caused the gaze to falter, it was subconscious and bred a sense of unease into anypony who hadn't passed through one before. It was a cleanse chamber, built in a manner that diffused all outside energies to a neutral state. Such precautions were necessary when entering during an ongoing ritual, even a stray strand of uncontrolled energy could cause an upset in the delicate balance necessary to maintain the kind of spells the room beyond this one was used for. Unfortunately it wasn't a particularly fast process, it took anywhere from ten to twenty minutes to fully diffuse lambent energies off of two Unicorns as powerful as Mesmer and Astral. Used to the troublesome protocol the Unicorns settled themselves on the floor as the doors boomed shut behind them and the diffusion process began.

Astral spoke first, "Mez', do you think we can manage this? I mean really manage it? This will be our second shift and I don't know about you but last time we did this I felt like I was barely holding on to my sanity through all that power, much less actually accomplishing anything."

Mesmer smiled wryly, for centuries the Lunarchs and the Luminarchs had been barely tolerant of one another, the relationship being cold at the best of times and outright hostile at the worst, but despite their differing magical disciplines Princess Celestia had insisted that her sister's court of magi be maintained. It caused no small amount of contention, the Luminarchs always looking down on the Lunarchs as poor cousins or even possible traitors, and the Lunarchs themselves nursed the bitter grudge of having their founder and the head of their order banished. Only a hoofful of years ago she and Astral would've been at each other's throats on a good day, now here she was chatting with her opposite number in the Lunarchs whom she was fairly certain had become her closest friend, or rather more than that if she were honest with herself. Something about Astral's voice, the enunciated Manehattan accent, his use of his pet name for her, endeared him to her; Mesmer smiled as she recalled one particular night at the bar where they had spent several hours discussing theoretical metaphysics in a way she had never been able to with any of her colleagues. It wasn't that they couldn't keep up it's that she enjoyed questioning standard practice and discussing such a thing with other Luminarchs brought condescending sneers at best. Astral Ether was different though, he listened and talked and was easily her match in wit, Mesmer recalled their first argument which turned into a discussion that went long into the night and only stopped at the crack of dawn. Astral was certainly more than a friend, especially after that one particular night at the bar outside Canterlot Castle when they'd both had one too many glasses of Chateau LeBlanc and decided to move the debate to her place where it became significantly less wordy. Mesmer felt a warmth rise to her face as she dismissed that particular memory and brought her mind back to Astrals question.

Mesmer thought for a moment before answering, soft smile still in place, "We're not really here to be doing anything but serving as a buffer for the sheer amount of magic Princess Luna is using to maintain the barrier, without us to support the extra load even she would've burnt out hours ago."

Astral Ether nodded but pressed the issue, "I know that of course but how long can we keep it up, I know she's a goddess but everypony has limits, even our Caelestis Luna." It was a sign of how highly Astral regarded Mesmer Star that he used the Lunarch's secret name for their founder, in old Equestrian it meant something close to Luna of the Heavens, it was a name no Luminarch had heard but her and she appreciated what it meant about his trust in her.

"We can only hope, I have faith that the Sisters have a plan and we have to play our part in it," Mesmer answered. She appreciated Astral's fears, she would've been lying if she said that they hadn't occurred to her as well, but there was nothing to be done but to trust Luna and Celestia, and hope that their magic could counteract the evil that was rising in the provincial town of Ponyville. "Say Astral, did you ever get a chance to meet Celestia's protégé?"

Astral blinked as though caught off guard by the question but shook his head, causing his mane to tumble rakishly about his eyes in a way that Mesmer secretly appreciated more than she felt she should, "You mean the unicorn that supposedly caused all of this? No I can't say that I have, although I'm skeptical that any one pony could cause this much damage, the kind of unparalleled power it would take is simply beyond belief."

Mesmer laughed softly, a sound Astral was growing to enjoy more and more as he spent time with the lovely and intelligent mare. "I suppose the idea of that much power in one unicorn does beggar belief a little, but if you ever get a chance to meet her you'll probably change your mind. Quite frankly I've never felt that kind of untapped potential in anypony before, I once saw Celestia spend a single lesson teaching her basic kinetomancy, moving objects around, and by the time the Princess had finished Twilight had already moved the twenty kilogram training sphere to the other side of the room."

Astral stared at Mesmer in disbelief, "Twenty kilograms? The final exam for Kinetomancy 201 at the academy was only fifteen, and that was after three months of practice!"

Mesmer nodded at his response, "Oh believe me I know how you feel, after seeing that I was depressed for days, a foal had mastered in mere moments what it had taken me months to manage, and only then just barely, but once I had time to process it I stopped being depressed and…" Mesmer paused as she considered her next words carefully.

"What is it? You stopped being depressed and started being what?" Astral asked softly, seeing the distress on Mesmer's face.

"I was scared Astral, more than that I was terrified, the academy had been teaching Kinetomancy for centuries and the fastest anypony had even mastered it was at least a couple of months. It felt… abnormal for anypony to master the magical arts that fast. Unnatural even." She said softly as she laid her head down on her hooves. Astral scooted over to her and laid a hoof across her shoulders and she leaned into him, inhaling the calming scent of his coat. "And I felt like a monster for thinking about her that way, I mean, she was just a foal, she couldn't know what other ponies thought of her, what they whispered about her."

"I remember hearing some of those rumors circulating about, but I'd never really put any stock in them, I mean, a foal who could use translocation magic? Absurd. Or at least I thought so until now…" He said, his voice becoming softer as he took in her words completely. If a pony could master even the advanced arts that quickly what did that mean? What kind of magical potential would that take? It was mind-boggling.

"So if this Twilight Sparkle is so powerful why would Celestia send her away? To someplace like Ponyville of all places? To keep her out of the way?" Astral mused partially to himself and partially to Mesmer who was still tucked under his right foreleg.

"I don't think that's it," Mesmer raised her head level to Astrals own.

"Well, why do you think she would do it?" Astral asked, genuinely curious to hear her theories, Mesmer had always been a brilliant maga, even the Lunarchs held a sort of grudging respect for her before the return of Caelestis Luna and the mending of the fence between the two orders.

"I think it was because Celestia knew that Twilight needed more than just training, she needed connections and relationships… in short she needed to live. We're taught that control isn't learned in a classroom it's achieved over the course of our lives, Twilight never left the Canterlot Library really, she never made any real friends, never seriously talked to anypony except the Princess." Mesmer tried to reach her point, to make Astral get where she was coming from. "It's lessons, life lessons that you only really learn by going out on your own and making mistakes and learning from them."

"I think I understand what you mean, Celestia figured that unless Twilight experienced life in all its troublesome glory she would ill-prepared to deal with hardship and would be less able to maintain control over her powers if she did," Astral said softly, slowly grasping Mesmer's point and marveling at the depth of her natural deductive understanding.

"Exactly," replied Astral, glad that he had understood her reasoning, "Not only that though… I think Princess Celestia knew Twilight would need friends, I mean, imagine what kind of distance her power would put between her and other ponies, that's probably why the Princess sent her somewhere like Ponyville, it was a place nopony would've heard of her or the rumors that surrounded her. Somewhere she could…" she trailed off searching for the words.

"Start fresh?" Astral supplied thoughtfully and Mesmer nodded with a smile.

"Yea, start fresh, that's exactly it," Mesmer agreed.

"But it didn't work did it? I mean, look at the situation we're in now…" Astral said somewhat bitterly, but Mesmer just shook her head.

"That's not fair Astral," she chided him, "I'd like to see how well you would handle seeing the things that poor mare saw, not to mention having two of her friends die horribly as well as finding out one of them was no less than the worst serial killer Equestria has ever seen."

Astral had the grace to look admonished and accepted Mesmers words, "You're right of course, that was thoughtless of me, I really couldn't imagine that kind of trauma, I'm sorry."

"It's alright Astral just remember that you're talking about another pony here, she's not a monster, just… different," Mesmer said, though Astral felt she was half talking to herself as well as him.

"So what do we do?" Astral asked, not directing the question to anypony in particular.

"We do what we were trained to do, support our Princesses and hope that Equestria comes out of this one in one piece," Mesmer answered as the sound of the locking mechanism attached to the door leading to the primary ritual chamber unlocked with a pneumatic hiss signaling the completion of the diffusion process.

Both ponies stood hastily and rearranged their robes, the Luminarchs and the Lunarchs were on friendlier terms but friendship wasn't quite there, several centuries of rivalry and occasional hate weren't easy to ignore. All the same before the doors opened Mesmer touched her hoof to Astrals and pulled him into a soft but insistent kiss. They smiled softly to each other as the double doors swung wide and the cacophony of energy spilled into the chamber.

Surrounding the edges of the ritual circle were fourteen of the most powerful magi in Equestria and at the center was a living goddess suspended in midair, her body seemingly made of starlight and undiluted power, her voice was like the whisper of the night breeze over the peaks of high mountains. As they entered the two magi they were assigned to replace disengaged from the ritual circle with the proper litanies and side-by-side Astral Ether and Mesmer Star took their places and they knew no more as their consciousness's were swept up into the roiling power of the goddess Luna.


	15. Chapter 12

Pinkie gave me a few hours of silence; I needed them to process everything. The knowledge that not only her death but the death of all of the ponies she captured and tortured as well as the death of every pony here in Ponyville who was caught by the things that were haunting the darkness were on my shoulders wasn't something I could deal with quickly.

It was my fault Pinkie went mad and died in a fit of suicidal psychosis.

It was my fault that Rainbow Dash died horribly on a slab in a dark and stinking basement.

It was my fault that all of my friends were suffering from broken elements.

And it's my fault that Princess Celestia is risking her life fighting that… thing… in the basement at Sugarcube Corner.

To be honest I felt dead inside, all of that weight, all of the guilt was too much. It didn't even hurt anymore, I just felt… nothing. I felt a light pressure on my shoulder as Pinkie sidled up and put a comforting hoof there.

And the dam cracked.

I saw her smiling face and her sad but accepting eyes and instantly I felt a torrential wave of hot tears falling down my face soaking my fur and the pillow I was resting against, a hot, wracking sob broke out of my throat and Pinkie pulled me into a tight hug, I buried my face in her mane and screamed my grief and sorrow out, tears cascaded like a waterfall as my muffled wails rent the air of the small underground nook we were inhabiting for the time being, two more pairs of hooves wrap themselves around me, one smelled like flowers and fine perfume, the other smelled like sweat and apples.

"A-apple…jack…. Rarity…" my voice cracked as I sobbed, "P-pinkie Pie… H-how c-can you even look at me? H-how can you e-ever f-f-forgive me?"

"Aw sugarcube…" Applejack whispered softly, she didn't need to say anything else; she just hugged a little tighter.

"Darling… you're the world to us, no matter what has happened," Rarity's calm and cultured voice broke through my sobs as she stroked my mane.

"Silly-filly…" Pinkie whispered and she pulled me closer, the smell of candy and bubblegum filled my nostrils and I sobbed violently again as a fresh wave of tears and grief swept over me.

We stood there as I wept and cried my eyes out for almost twenty minutes until it felt like there wasn't a drop of water left in me. I felt drained and empty, it was different from before though, this time I felt like I'd gotten something out of me that needed to be released, I drained down a tall glass of water that Rarity had brought and took in a deep breath. It felt like I was breathing for the first time since this whole thing began. I knew deep down that I had a lot to atone for but there wasn't time for that now, Fluttershy, Sweetie Belle, and the Apple family were all waiting for me, for us. I opened my mouth to say something but all words were forgotten or drowned out by the voice from outside.

It sounded like metal being dragged violently across metal; it was the voice of that thing, that horrible colt that Rarity had delayed for us. Speaking of which, at the sound of the voice I saw Rarity's features twist into a look of hatred, her eyes turning pitch black, the pupils and whites swallowed by an inky darkness, her lips were curled into a snarl that revealed a gleaming set of needle-sharp fangs.

Pinkie scooped up Scootaloo and Applebloom, they'd been there for the entire show, and if I'd been thinking I would've tried to make them to be honest there nowhere really private in this small space anyway. They were smarter and stronger than they looked though, especially Scootaloo, she was keeping Applebloom strong. Fortunately neither of them knew the truth about what Pinkie had done, why she had died, they'd been told there was an accident, I knew Applebloom trusted her sister enough not to question something like that but I had a feeling Scootaloo knew more than she was letting on. She still trusted Pinkie though, I allowed myself a small inward grin, 'Just like Rainbow Dash would've' I thought to myself. I shook the thought away as quickly as it had come, it wouldn't do me any good to think about Dashie here and now.

"Pinkie, we need to move, that thing has obviously figured out where we are, or at least that we're in the area," I said quickly as I grabbed what few supplies we still had, "where exactly are we?" The question had been somewhere in the back of my mind since we got here but frankly it hadn't been on the top of the list of 'Questions to ask your recently back-from-the-dead friend'.

Rarity was the one who answered, "We're in an orchard less than a mile from the Apple Family Farm, it's one of our bolt-holes, Pinkie's and mine."

I blinked and shook my head, "Wait, since when did you two have time to build bolt-holes? I've read up on them and by the look of this place it would've taken at least a few days to clear out, and that's with magic."

Rarity nodded, "I did the bulk of the work, it's… do you remember the disappearances darling? Before the event itself? How I and a few others would vanish and then come back without any memory of what had happened?"

I put two and two together, "So wait, Pinkie was bringing you all here?" I asked incredulously.

Pinkie finally chimed in as she swept past carrying the two foals on her back, "Heh, no way silly-filly, they were just falling through the cracks, but since Rarity and I were so close back when I was alive I could feel when she was near a crack and…" She made a comical popping sound by shoving her hoof in her mouth and pulling it out rapidly that made Applebloom and Scootaloo giggle uncontrollably, "…I popped her in."

"Wait, what do you mean 'the cracks' exactly?" I asked as I ventured towards the door and gingerly poked my head to check if the coast was clear.

Pinkie screwed her eyes up and wrinkled her nose as she tried to come up with an explanation that would make sense.

"It's sort of like this…" she started, "that thing in the basement of Sugarcube Corner was like a sleeping monster, but it was waking up, and y'know how when you wake up you feel all creaky so you stretch out and stuff? Well those cracks were what happened when it 'stretched' I guess."

I just cocked my head and started as I tried to take in the analogy, it wasn't exactly Metaphysics 101 but it sort of made sense, I knew that really powerful magic could bend the rules of reality, I guess this thing would have to be powerful to actually break them to pull off what it was doing here. "So… since this thing was basically in the basement of Sugarcube Corner then the closer you were to it…"

Pinkie nodded excitedly, "Yup! The more likely it was you'd fall through a crack!"

I nodded, grasping the gist of what Pinkie was saying, "But wh-" another roar split the air and cut off my words, "Uh, maybe we'd better do this later," I said, as I poked my head out, I saw a massive shape move out of sight, it still hadn't found the bolt-hole but it wasn't far off. "We're gonna have to make a run for it girl, Rarity, you said that the Farm was only a little ways off, Pinkie, can we make it? How fast is that thing?"

"Uhm, faster than it looks I guess?" she answered unhelpfully, my gaze turned deadpan as I shook my head.

"Well it would pretty much have to be since it barely looks capable of moving at all," I said, "Can it chase us?"

Pinkie nodded glumly, "Yea, he can, he's probably the worst of the all the nightmares, they call him Cauchemar, I've never heard him talk though."

I stopped; something about how she had phrased her words struck me as odd, almost as if… "Pinkie… who is 'They' exactly?"

Pinkie looked forlorn at my question, I was pretty sure I knew but I had to ask. "The others… you know… 'Them', Contempt was the worst, I'm glad she's gone, Shame was almost as bad though."

"Pinkie…" I moved close and put a hoof around her neck, "who are you talking about?"

Pinkie sniffled but met my gaze, "You killed something that looked like Fluttershy remember? Well… that was Contempt. And that other one that looked sort of like Rainbow Dash? That was Shame. They're like… the opposite of what they should be... like everything good about them turned sour and bad."

I shook my head trying to organize everything, "But wait… you said Rainbow wasn't changed she wasn't…" I didn't want to put it into words but Pinkie got the idea.

"Because they're not really us, they're… the Elements of Harmony… only they're broken… Rainbow Dash was the bearer of Loyalty so that's why Shame looked like her. Same with Contempt."

I nodded, finally getting it, "Pinkie… did you know them?"

Rarity cut in before Pinkie could answer, "Girls, I'd love to play explain-the-horror, really I would, but can we perhaps conduct this little soiree elsewhere before the large gentlecolt in chains and shackles decides to mount us on his trophy rack?" She was prepared, all the supplies were in saddlebags and the girls were safely secured, Applebloom to Rarity and Scootaloo to Pinkie Pie.

"Yea, sorry Rarity, alright girls, let's go." I said, quietly opening the door, the coast was clear so we moved softly into the ashen mists on the ground. "Pinkie, once we get to the farmhouse how will we… y'know… move back out of this…." I searched for a good word, "…Place?" I finished a bit lamely.

"Don't worry, there are cracks all over the place, I'll get push you three through one," she whispered back, "Just leave it to Pinkie Pie!" I winced at her volume and she hunkered back down and covered her mouth, shooting me an apologetic look.

We stopped and glanced around but it didn't seem as if anypony had heard her Pinkies little exclamation, somehow I wasn't surprised, sound didn't travel very well here, nothing did really, everything seemed frayed and dull. As we continued I finally ventured another question that had been plaguing me since I had first been pulled into this horrible place.

"Pinkie?" I whispered as we moved quietly though the orchard, "Where… or what… exactly is this place?"

"I don't know Twilight…" she said softly, her previous enthusiasm deflated somewhat, "I'm sorry but… I really don't… but I've spent a lot of time here and I can tell you it's not a good place, not at all. There's no laughter here and no parties, not ever. There's never anything to celebrate, it's all just… wrong… it's…" she trailed off trying to find the words; oddly enough it was Scootaloo who supplied them.

"It's where all the bad stuff goes…" the little filly whispered, she'd been listening in, she'd always been curious, I briefly wondered what all this was doing to the young pony's mind.

Pinkie nodded wryly, "Yea, that's it, it's where all the bad stuff goes, and none of the good."

"Pinkie, I need to know something else and I think you can answer me," I started as we ducked into a section where the rotten and dying trees were thicker. Pinkie didn't say anything but she nodded, sensing I was about to ask something unpleasant but unwilling to hold anything back. "Contempt and Shame… those were their… names?"

Pinkie cocked an eyebrow to the sky but answered, "Yea, basically, I guess they're like titles too but it's the same thing."

"So… what about the others?"

Pinkie heaved sigh and nodded in understanding, "You mean the other broken Elements dontcha?"

"Yea, I do, Pinkie… if they're as bad as the other two… I need to know what I'm, what we're, walking into…" I said grimly, I wasn't willing to be caught with my flank in the air again, I needed to know who my enemies were.

"I know what you really want to know and I'm sorry that I don't have an answer, I've never seen the Element of Magic Twilight, I don't even know if you have an 'Other'," Pinkie answered, she'd cut right to the heart of the matter.

"So what about your 'Other'?" I wasn't willing to let it drop without some new answers but Pinkie shook her head.

"You don't have to worry about that Twilight, I…" she hesitated, for the first time possibly since I'd known her she looked… truly scared, "Twilight, I am the 'Other'."

I went to a dead stop, staring cock-eyed at the shade of my dead friend, Rarity had stopped too, she had a look on her face as though she had expected this which at least told me one thing.

"Rarity? You knew?" I said and the white unicorn winced at the accusation in my tone before steeling herself and standing up straight.

"I did know Twilight dear, but hear her out."

I stared hard at my friend but nodded, I trusted my friends not to betray me, now I was about to find out what the really meant. I took a deep breath and turned back to Pinkie, or the thing that used to be Pinkie Pie and said "Ok Pinkie, let's hear it."


	16. Chapter 13

Pinkie took a deep breath, I could feel the weight of the answer she was about to give like a palpable presence. "Rarity, Applejack, keep an eye out for… him… Twilight deserves an explanation." The two mares, my friends, just nodded solemnly and went out of sight as Pinkie turned back to me. "Twilight… I'm not a magic pony like you, I don't know how all this stuff works but… When I… came back… I felt like I did before I died, empty and terrified and sad, laughing felt like throwing up but I couldn't stop." She paused and played with the ash on the ground, I didn't like being out here any longer than I had to but I knew I couldn't rush this kind of thing out of her. "When I came back I was the broken element, I don't know if your magic had something to do with it or… I don't know… but that was me… Madness, laughter without joy or… or any sort of reason, just one crazy pink pony laughing in a corner to herself."

"But I don't understand Pinkie, the 'Other's were all evil…" I said quietly, moving closer to her.

Pinkie laughed, a dry mirthless sound I didn't like hearing coming from her, "And I wasn't?" Pinkie said with an empty expression, "Twilight, I killed, skinned, disemboweled, and _bucking ate other ponies_." I broke eye contact and stared at the ground, I had nothing to say to that, she was absolutely right. "But eventually I… I came back, little by little until that moment down in the basement of the Castle in this world, staring at that knife on the ground and I realized that… I was trying to decide what to do." Pinkie breathed out heavily as if she was letting something go that had long overstayed its welcome, "That's when I came back for the first time, all the way back. I faded in and out for a while after that but each time was shorter and shorter, until finally, I was back for good."

"But Pinkie, that doesn't answer how," I said, I knew I was stating the obvious but the strain of all the unanswered questions was beginning to show.

"I know that," she hissed softly making me back up a trifle, but her face softened and she leaned against me, "I'm sorry Twilight, here's what I know: When all of you started to forgive yourselves, started to fight back, something in me… sang… it was sort of like… hearing a tune you used to know from a long distance then you start humming along with it, then more and more of it starts to come back. Madness was strong but… our friendship was stronger."

Her words softened my heart, what she said made sense in a way, we were all connected by the elements, broken or not, something else bothered me intensely though and I had to ask. "Pinkie, why didn't Rainbow Dash come back?"

Pinkie sighed, "I don't really know for sure but… I think it's because Rainbow Dash wasn't there when you worked the spell that…"

"That broke the Elements of Harmony," I said, the words weighed like granite in my throat, it sounded right though.

"Yea, so she didn't end up like us, broken and… crazy…" Pinkie said, she sounded sad but she had a soft smile on her face, "I'm kind of glad she didn't end up like us… y'know Twi'?"

I hated to admit it but, after seeing the consequences of everything that had happened, I couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"One other thing… Pinkie… what… what happened to Rarity?" I asked remembering her cold black eyes and monstrous fangs.

"That was Rarity's choice, she should tell you," Pinkie said sternly, I had expected the answer so I just nodded.

"Rarity, let's go we need to get to the farm," Pinkie said in a stage whisper, enough to carry over to the disheveled fashionista where she was keeping watch for that… thing… along with Applejack and the two fillies.

As we started to move out I turned to Pinkie, a new question shoving into my mind, "Hey Pinkie, the 'Others', they could turn into… monsters, so…" The look on Pinkie's face was indescribable, so much so that I stopped talking as the words died in my mouth, I dropped the question then and there, remembering Princess Celestia's words to me from so long ago.

'_Some knowledge should be left in the darkness'_

We made good time, coming upon the ruins of the farm, I hadn't expected much after seeing what this world had made of my own home but it still caused a familiar ache of grief in my heart to see the homestead of the Apple Family in such a condition. The farmhouse itself was mostly collapsed, with whole sections the huge two story building caved in on itself, sometimes all the way through to the ground floor.

"We only need to make it to the porch," Rarity whispered, we were taking a circuitous route around the rotting carcass of the barn, the only other pathways would have forced us to cross open ground that, well, really wasn't an option.

I nodded and turned to Pinkie but she was gone, worry rose like a tidal wave as I opened my mouth to call out for her but Rarity stopped me, I realized she was covering the fillies eyes, "Why are you-"

"Shh," she whispered and gestured up; I looked skyward and saw Pinkie standing on a single support thirteen feet up.

"How did…" I started to ask before stopping myself, "right… left in the darkness."

Pinkie dropped down effortlessly and stooped low, "Ok, mister metal colt isn't anywhere to be seen for now, let's go."

We moved fast now, trying to make as little noise as possible but knowing haste was the better option here, if we made it there it wouldn't matter if that grill-work monstrosity saw us. Rarity made it first, she moved like a snake in oil, fast and silent, but something was wrong she turned to face all of us even paler than normal standing in front of a patch of air that looked… bent.

"Pinkie!" she hissed.

Pinkie made it up to where Rarity was standing and blanched, "No…" she whispered, "no, no, no, no, no, no… it's not fair…"

Applejack and I clambered up the stairs of the front porch with a worried look, AJ spoke first, "Pinkie, wha' is it? Wha's…" The smell must have hit her at the same time it hit me because she went dead silent at the same moment I felt my heart go hollow.

Pinkie only said one word as the smell of a charnel house sluiced into my nostrils, "Duplicity."

Pinkie had barely gotten the word out before I got barreled into the 'crack', as Pinkie had named it, by Applejack, she shouted 'TAKE THEM' before gracelessly depositing Applebloom and Scootaloo by Rarity and we were gone. I didn't even manage to yell "WAIT!" before I felt a burning, freezing, sensation of sliding through grit and glue, it was altogether one of the most unpleasant feelings I'd ever had but we made it, I heard Applebloom yell out for her sister as we vanished, the echo was still ringing in my ears as I found my hooves standing on solid oak. Applejack was already at the door, it was unlocked. Not broken down, not bashed in or torn up, it was unlocked.

Somehow that made me feel worse. Much worse.

"JAMES? GRAN? ANYPONY?" Applejack yelled as she burst into the front room, the smell was bad here, worse than outside, "WHERE IS EVERYPONY! COME OUT THIS AIN'T FUNNY!" she screamed as she ran into the empty living room, looking out windows and around corners, I went the other direction into the dining room and kitchen. I didn't see anything, I couldn't pin point the source of the smell.

I heard a loud crash from the hallway, I started towards it in worry but stopped as Applejack came in to the kitchen from around the corner with an odd look on her face, I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Hey Twi', see anythin' o'er there?" she said, something about her tone seemed strange, I wondered if she had found… something.

"No, I didn't, you?" I asked warily, not sure I wanted to know what she had found if indeed she had found anything.

She shook her head by way of answer and I turned back to the dining room.

"I don't get it, why was the door unlocked, where is everypony, and where is that smell coming from?" I muttered angrily, more and more questions and I never got any answers; this was starting to royally get on my horn.

"Tha's the body ah reckon…" Applejack said nonchalantly, idly toying with one of the discarded kitchen utensils on the counter.

"Well I-" I began to answer but choked and whipped my head around to stare at Applejack, "What did you say?"

"Ya'll asked what the smell was," she said, a slow hateful grin starting to stretch across her face, "Ah reckon its body tha's doin' it."

The coin dropped.

"D-duplicity…" I whispered backing up as the grin distorted into an almost sleazy smirk, I felt my flank bump against the wall, "W-where…?"

"Don't ya'll worry yer pretty little mane, Miss Honesty is jus' takin a li'l nap courtesy o' mah buckin' hooves tha's all," the 'other' applejack said.

I mentally cursed myself for a foal, I should've seen it, the differences, she even moved differently than Applejack, but I had been so concerned that I'd missed what was right in front of my face. I felt my stomach turn as she advanced, the way she moved was wrong, she swayed in a gross parody of seduction but her bones moved all wrong beneath her skin, she licked her lips lasciviously with a hideously forked tongue that was the color of rich silver. I tried to move, tried to scream, to throw a spell, anything, but my body wouldn't obey, she changed as she advanced, it wasn't like Contempt or Shame, it was slow, like she was shedding a fine dress in the presence of a lover. First her legs hitched and she let out a soft moan as the skin sloughed elegantly off of her forelegs and her alien joints cracked back into place revealing the wet and bloody muscle of two analogous limbs, but with far too many joints and each ending in a cartilaginous blade.

I felt sickened, disgusted by her and… myself… I couldn't stop watching her, she was hypnotic, and her movements had a kind of vile grace that was as fascinating as it was abhorrent. That thing, the 'Other' Jack leaned forward on her too-long forelimbs with the speed of a striking snake, her hat thrown to the side in the flash of movement. I barely had time to scream in pain before her lips clamped to mine and her tongue slid past my lips at the same time that those horrible blades punched violently through my legs and into the wall behind. Her, its, mouth had the coppery taste of blood, I screamed, trying violently to rip out of her embrace as I reared up and slammed against the wall, I heard more of her unnatural joints crack and the unwholesome sound of slick bone sliding into place. Past my own horror and the familiar outline of her face I saw her back half fall to the floor in a gory heap. I was shaking, terrified and helpless as I saw what passed for her lower section a coil of gristly meat and spinal vertebrae that served as some kind of prehensile tail. The thing that wasn't Applejack withdrew her tongue and lips with a breathy moan, all that was left of the facsimile she had worn to catch me off guard was her face and the chest, her eyes were no longer the beautiful emeralds I admired, instead they were black speckled with an unhealthy green color and split down the middle by yellow blades of malicious glee.

"Mmm… ah always did wond'r what ya'll tasted like Twi'," it whispered into my ear, "Now, ah'm gonna find out."

All pretense of her falsehood fell away as the flesh of her face turned the pallid color of old paper, ripping and flaking away as the skin at the edges of her mouth split to allow a pair of gleaming mandibles to tear free and I stared down a churning maw of bruise-color flesh and serrated sharks-teeth and as feral hiss escaped from the depths of her gullet I reached the haze of pain for something, I touched it just as I felt the tips of her mandibles pierce my neck.

_**NO**_

A sound like a hammer split the air and in that instant I fell away from everything, I felt the cancerous heart of my broken element hemorrhaging power inside me; it beat a rhythmic tattoo in my skull as I felt my world go dark for a moment before luminescing like never before. The thing, Duplicity, was lying on its back looking dazed, I felt taller, bigger, and by the twin goddesses, I felt _POWERFUL_.

"No…" it whispered, hate and disbelief replacing the smugness it had worn until now, "No… you can't."

I heard a tearing and another crackle of power surged through me like adrenaline.

_**CAN'T WHAT? NO, I CAN DO ANYTHING**_

My voice was like thunderbolts cracking the frame of the world, with a thought I lifted the poor shapeless thing into the air and I couldn't recall for the life of me what I had found so frightening about it.

"No, Let me g-" I silenced her words and replaced them with screams as I broke her in half, but I knew it would take more than that to kill her, I had cut Shame in half and that still hadn't ended her. I felt something tug on my face as I thought about smiling and another sound of tearing that brought another welcome surge of delicious energy. With another thought I pinned her to the ceiling.

_**GOOD BYE LITTLE THING**_

It screamed as I pulled on her from all directions, I heard snapping and popping as her joints were forced out of place and her vertebrae separated, humours and fluids splashed across the floor and dining table as I flensed her muscles apart one by one, it was the act of a few seconds and a single thought and then with a colossal ripping sound and one last pitiful whimper the thing tore, pieces and part scattering everywhere, ricocheting of walls and cupboards and splattering vile fluids across the once peaceful room. With a twitch of will I deflected the splatter of flesh and fluid that would have struck me, idly altering their trajectory to fly around me with the same effort I might have used to cock an eyebrow.

I had never felt so good, this must be what it was like to be Celestia or Luna every day, but no… even they couldn't understand, Celestia had said it herself hadn't she?

_**I'M STRONGER THAN HER**_

A whisper of movement, so slight I only detected it thanks to my new-found senses, I saw a blur or orange-cream fur and grimaced, with another thought, an impulse, I dragged her out of the hall way and pinned her against the wall.

_**ONCE WASN'T ENOUGH LITTLE THING? PERHAPS I SHOULD COLLAPSE YOU INWARD INSTEAD THIS TIME.**_

She clapped her hooves over her ears and cried out as a trickle of blood slid out of her left nostril, she stared in abject horror at me and I growled.

I was beautiful. Wonderful. Magnificent. How dare that arrogant little shade look at me with such a disgraceful expression.

With a choking gasp a single word slipped out from between her lips.

"T-twilight?"

Sudden shame filled me, this wasn't Duplicity, it wasn't a shade, it was Applejack. My friend Applejack, so why… why hadn't I been able to see that? Why hadn't I remembered? I tried to open my mouth, to answer, but a death-rattle was all that issued from my lips, what was wrong? I turned to the reflective surface of the kitchen window and my mind went blank as it tried to take in the sight.

The images came in jerking blurs.

A warped skull and skeletally thin frame.

A mouth full of razor-sharp knives.

A pair of outstretched skeleton wings and a horn the color of fresh blood…

Was that…

I screamed, I think I heard all the glass in the house shatter, Applejack dropped to the floor and clutched her ears, trying to shut out the sound I was making. I felt the power bleed away back into that horrible pulsating tumor in my mind as I fell to the ground, retching and screaming and weeping. I slumped to the floor and stared lifelessly ahead, barely taking in what I'd seen. After experiencing the senses of… whatever that thing was… everything looked dull, it was like I was deaf, no sound, no color, no sensation, I saw Applejack start to rise but fall down again as she caught sight of something to my right that had been behind the counter. I saw her rush over, past me and I idly followed her strangely jerky movements with my eyes, slowly bending my head to alter my perspective.

Applejack was cradling something, a pony, wrinkly and old, covered in cuts and bruises. I passed out as Applejack screamed her soul out over the body of her murdered grandmother.


	17. Final Chapter

Sounds came in a jumble through the darkness, it was as though I was hearing voices underwater, they were distorted and my wavering consciousness wasn't making discerning their message any easier.

"G… OFFA… E… I AIN'T LEA… ER… RE!" that accent… Applejack? What was she talking about?

"I'm… rry darling bu… n't reach her…" That's Rarity, I thought, reach who though?

"AH DON'T CA… ONNA GE… R…" Applejack sounded upset, I remembered Granny Smith and an ache worked its way through the haze of my mind.

"NO! APPLEJA… N'T!" was that Pinkie?

Suddenly my thought process was cut off by a massive snap of displaced air followed by a crash off in the distance. I tried to open my eyes but it was so bright… it hurt, I couldn't see anything, I felt like I was floating, the words were coming in clearer though.

"Oh dear, is she okay?" Rarity again, what happened?

"She's okay, out cold, bonked her head, I told her we couldn't reach Twilight, not through that… thing…" Definitely Pinkie, I thought to myself, I didn't know of any other pony who would use the word 'bonked' without a thought. But what thing was she talking about, and why did everything have to be so bright?

"Girls," Pinkie again, "help Rarity with Applejack and head out back, we can't stay here, I'll be out in a jiffy."

I heard a high pitched chorus of assent, part of my waking mind breathed a sigh of relief, the girls were okay, but what about Sweetie Belle? What about Mayor Mare and Big Mac, what about Fluttershy?

I heard the dull sound of muffled hoof-falls, everything still sounded so distorted but I gathered that everypony was going somewhere, where though? And why couldn't I move, why couldn't I open my eyes, and why in the name of Celestia's royal flank was it so bright? Suddenly I heard the sound of hooves moving closer, I thought I could smell bubblegum and frosting, Pinkie Pie... her voice was low and the sounds were fading but I heard her.

"I'm sorry Twi', I'm so sorry…" there were tears in her voice and her words were broken by the occasional stifled sob, "I tried to come through but… I'm sorry… it won't let me take you with us, it's angry, and a little scared I think, remember that, it's scared ok? Things are going to be hard but we'll find you…. I'll find you… I pro... se," I could feel whatever was hold me sliding me back into unconsciousness I struggled to hold on, "I'll find y… cross my he… rt… hope to f… sti… upcake in my eye..."

"I… v… ou Twilight…"

Everything went dark again.

My first sensation was pain, not serious pain or torturous pain, I'd had enough of both to know the difference; it was just unpleasant and constant. I felt like I was being dragged across a mile of bad road, I briefly reflected on how tired I was of waking up in the dark confused and covered in bruises before gingerly opening my eyes, that sensation of brightness and the haze that had stolen my consciousness earlier was gone. After a moment of focusing I realized my original comparison was right on the bits with one exception. I was in fact being dragged on at least two miles of bad road. I could see the ruins of houses I knew were in Ponyville proper, which was at least two miles from Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse. I winced and stifled a moan as the pain in my legs hit me, I looked down and saw rudely wrought chains of iron wrapped around my legs and waists, I followed the chains which were attached to…

A massive colt with a brutally scared coat where it wasn't covered in thick rusted plates of metal. I very nearly screamed but bit back the impulse, I knew if I made any sudden noises or movements my chances of survival would drop from merely astronomical to non-existent. It's funny how you make those distinctions when you're about to die, the world comes down to two choices, 'the one that means I'll most likely die, and the one that means I will die'. I tried to ignore the sounds of his breathing, it was like listening to hot air pass through a broken vent, and it was a horrible sound, angry and labored as if all this creature wanted to do was lie down and die. It certainly looked like it should've done so a long time ago. I wondered very briefly what exactly was keeping this caricature of a stallion moving at all, was it just another manifestation like the Other's? Or was it something else entirely? Even now amidst all the horror and the desperate nature of my situation I could still wonder about what was essentially a philosophical or at least scholastic quandary. It took my mind off of being dragged over jagged cobblestones at least.

Without fanfare we suddenly stopped, I was absurdly grateful for the moment's rest, a feeling which rapidly faded along with all the moisture in my mouth as I saw where exactly we had stopped.

Sugarcube Corner.

This was where it had all started. At least in my own mind. All the horror, the death, the curse, it had all begun in the basement of this… forgive me Pinkie… this wretched place.

Of course, back then it hadn't been torn from its foundations, rising from the depths of the building was a rich dark energy that rose like smoke from a chimney, the Corner rose with it ever so slightly, the wooden walls were cracked and broken, the glass of the windows shattered with that same energy pour out of it like corrupted firelight.

"INSIDE"

I nearly leapt out of my skin, in all the time I had feared that thing it had never once occurred to me that it could talk, of course I had heard it scream but that had only convinced me further, it was the roar of a unthinking demon made of metal and hatred. Its voice was not much better, it was like old granite falling apart and barely decipherable. In my shock I turned to face it, properly this time, my fear overridden by my surprise and for a brief moment I met its eyes.

I'm not really sure what I expected its eyes to look like up close, just as I had never expected it to talk, would it have empty eye sockets, devoid of life and pity, fiery red eyes like the demon I had so long imagined it to be? The glowing graveyard hue of a corpse-light that was said to haunt old graveyards at night maybe? Whatever it was I certainly didn't expect what was actually there. The most startling shade of storm-cloud grey I had ever seen tinged with a sadness that rocked me to my hooves.

It turned away as mechanically as ever to face the Corner.

"INSIDE," it repeated; its tone and timbre identical to before but somehow more threatening for being said a second time, this time it rose one massive hoof and brought it down on the chain, shattering it in a single strike.

For a moment I considered running, a very short moment, the pragmatic side of my mind quickly nixed that idea, for one I was barely in a condition to walk quickly, much less attempt an escape, and secondly, maybe more importantly, I didn't want to give him an excuse to hurt me, the instinctual part of my mind was screaming at me to get away from it as quickly as possible by whatever means necessary.

"O-okay," I replied quietly, I choked on two miles of road-dust and ash, I was apparently back in the 'Other World' again. My whole body hurt as I moved gingerly out of the now-loosened chains that had restrained me during the trip and stood up. I mentally revised my assessment, hurt wasn't nearly the word for it, I felt like one large bruise but, I reflected meaningfully, it was hardly the worst pain I'd felt. Mentally steeling myself I moved on unsteady legs up the gently floating steps leading to the unnaturally lifted Corner. Each step brought me into closer proximity with that smoky power that smelled like cold ashes and bad dreams, it made the ache in my head pound a little harder for every step I took until my skull felt like it was being torn apart as I stood on the cusp of entering. With a heave of exertion I forced myself over the threshold and into that nightmare place that had haunted my mind since I had found two of my friends dead amidst of a pile of brutalized corpses in the basement.

The pain in my head vanished.

I blinked in disbelief. To that point I hadn't realized that my head had been hurting almost continuously since that night, sometimes a little and sometimes a lot but always hurting. Now the pain was gone and for a second I wanted to sink to the floor in relief and just enjoy the sensation of not having a headache. I couldn't though, I knew why I was here, there was something down there in the darkness that wanted me here and I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't avoid it anymore and there was simply nowhere left to run. Thinking back a part of me knew it would eventually play out like this, that I would end up standing at the end of this unholy chasm staring into the maw of that horrible blood-stained basement. I suppose in hindsight that was why I felt oddly at peace with this turn of events. I didn't by any means want to go down those steps, I wanted to do anything but, despite that desire though I let out a single steady breath and nodded, affirming my decision to myself if no one else. Down there was more than my worst nightmare, down there was my mentor, my teacher, my goddess, and my princess. If I was going to die, or worse, I wouldn't do it anywhere else.

I put one hoof on the first step, then another, and made my way down the staircase. A part of me knew it was going far deeper than it should, that the basement wasn't nearly this many steps down, but the rest of me didn't bother questioning for once. This wasn't my world any longer, this world belonged to that thing in the basement of Sugarcube Corner and that meant that this world didn't have to follow any laws but those that were laid down by the thing I was going to meet. Finally I reached a doorway, it wasn't large or ornate, it was instead simply the unassuming wooden door that lead into the basement of the Corner, I took one more deep breath fully aware that it could be my last and pushed the door open.

My world exploded into light.

Slowly.

Ever so slowly.

The light dimmed.

Like the blind flare of dawn, or more aptly the last strobe of brilliant light as the sun vanished over the horizon, the light faded to levels that were tolerable, and finally comfortable. I opened my eyes and gasped in wonder, I was standing on nothing, no stone, no earth, just nothing, and all around me were stars and galaxies, comets and asteroids, and the whole of creation was lit by the peculiar half-seen illumination from which my parents had taken my name.

_Twilight_

It was a whisper, and only just barely that, like a sound on the wind except there was no wind here, I glanced around and in the distance saw a glimmer of something solid. I turned gingerly, vertigo surging for a moment before passing as I put my hoof down; I knew there was nothing I could do to make this world make sense so I made my way cautiously towards the object. It looked like the remains of a thousand shattered mirrors fit haphazardly together without a care in Equestria for what pieces best fit where. It was grotesque but oddly enthralling, like one of those pieces of modern art that Rarity seemed so fascinated with. There was certainly a unique beauty to it, especially in the way it reflected the starlight and omnipresent luminescence.

_Twilight…_

I looked around, I had definitely heard a voice, a whisper.

"H-hello?" I called out tentatively.

_Where are you looking Twilight?_

The voice was stronger now, more resonant, enough so that I could make out features of the voice, it was lustrously feminine for one.

"I'm don't understand, what do you mean?" I cast my gaze around but saw only the celestial bodies of the realm around me.

_Look forward Twilight, I'm here_

I looked forward but all I saw was my own reflection, albeit twisted and distorted by the endless fractures and fragments, it was barely recognizable but the colors were right. Then my image's mouth moved by itself.

_You see now?_

I held back a shout of surprise as the realization sank in.

"It's you isn't it?" I said softly, becoming more and more sure that I was correct.

_And who might that be? _The voice sounded curiously amused.

"My Other," I stated.

The image moved to where its face took up a larger portion of fragmented glass, I saw it was not just the effect of the fractures that distorted the image but the image itself that was so bent and unnatural. I felt a wave of nausea roll up from my stomach as I half-remembered what I'd seen in the reflective glass of the window in the kitchen.

The warped skull of my Other twisted into a maniac grin, _Yes… Other… that's what I am._

"Am I… Inside my own head?" I asked quizzically, the question brought a wave of raucous laughter from my image in the mirror causing me to glare at it.

_Hehehahahehaa… Oh my no… no if anything we are in MY head_

"Wait what?" The shock registered on my face as I took in what she said, "How? You're MY Other how can we be in your head?" I began to pace and as I did so I realized that no matter what direction I looked at the glass from the perspective never seemed to change, even when I circled it.

_Simple, because right now you and I are on equal footing in the world beyond this place_

"What does that mean though?" I needed to know, I needed someone to tell me what was happening and at this point, I'd even hear it from… that thing. As I paced around the pillar of tortured glass it followed but it never seemed to change.

_You have brought this place closer and closer with every moment, you mind is a beacon to our power, a whisper that has crossed unimaginable gulfs to reach us, and now we are here. Fragments of a world that might have been._

"But where are we, what is that place out there? That wasteland? Is that what might have happened? Is that what you mean?" I pleaded with her, with it, for answers to questions that had rang in my mind since this horror began, she let out a husky laugh.

_It is what might have been and it is what will be for they are one and the same. You have brought me into this existence and I have whispered into the cracks in your mind, I have slept deeply in the darkness of this place where horrors are tied to the depths of your psyche._

"Wait… no that's… you're my Other but…" suddenly all of the monstrous truths I'd been given slid into place, "Laughter became Madness, Honesty became Duplicity, Loyalty became Shame, and… Magic became a Curse, this whole time…"

_Yessss…. _It hissed abominably, a hellish gleam in its unwholesome eyes, eyes that matched mine perfectly.

_You understand now… You, I, we… We are Accursed, the blight and the pestilence, the ash and the fire, we will join and we will become I, and I will bring my curse to this land of Equestria and all will scream in exalted despair._

As she spoke she seemed to strain against my movements and to my horror I felt myself moving to with her, she pressed her hooves against the glass and the fragmented mirror groaned as she pushed against it.

I felt despair, was she right? Was I in her mind? Was… was I becoming her reflection?

As these thoughts tore into my mind she pressed harder, the glass seeming to separate at the seams.

Am I real anymore? If I'm moving with her am I…

….

….

….

_It's scared ok?_

Her voice, Pinkie's voice, came back to me.

"…Scared of me," I whispered softly to myself.

_What? _She hissed hatefully as she fought to continue moving, but she had stopped, I had stopped and we both stared into each other's identical eyes.

"You," I said with a smidgeon of courage, "You're scared of me."

It didn't answer, it made no response at all, it just stared. The abject venom in its eyes said everything I needed to know.

"You said it yourself, we're on equal footing…" I followed my line of thought to its conclusion, "But you're wrong, see this isn't your world, not yet any way. We're not in your mind, we're in _our_ mind, a border, but I'm not letting you cross over…"

_You Cannot Stop Me! _She screamed as she struggled against the walls of torn glass, I felt it, my mind bending against her attacks, she had been distracting me, worming her way into my mind to make me more pliable, more susceptible, and she had almost succeeded.

"No, I can stop you, I… I can," the idea occurred to me mid-sentence, realizing that there was something I could do.

I remembered one of my first lessons from Celestia, about the dangers of using magic, especially for someone as young and powerful as I was, 'Always maintain a steady flow of power and remember that you are not limitless, otherwise you risk burning yourself out', and that was my answer, it had never occurred to me because quite simply I had learned that lesson so long ago and so often that it was second nature. Every unicorn in Equestria knows how to balance between power and overload, it's like an earth pony knowing how to walk without tripping. So if she was my Element of Magic turned into a curse, then I…

"…I just have to burn out my magic."

Those words almost made me choke, they certainly made that thing in the mirror blanch which was enough to overcome my instincts.

_NO! YOU CANNOT DO THIS! I WILL END YOU! I WILL SURGE INTO THIS REALITY AND EVERYTHING WILL BURN! I DEFEATED YOUR TEACHER! I WILL DEFEAT YOU!_

It screamed and screamed as I poured torrents of power into my horn and as the burning became unbearable I whispered to it one last time.

"No, you won't, because I'm stronger than her."

The power released in a cataclysmic wave, greater than anything I had ever produced on my own, greater even than the power I and my friends had released when we were united by the Elements of Harmony. The stars vanished and the blood-stained basement stood before me in a brief flash of light, standing amidst it was a tired, sweat-soaked, and worn out Alicorn. My last sight of my beloved Princess was her fiercely proud smile before she too was taken apart molecule by molecule by the ravening light.


	18. Canterlot Epilogue

The following is a recovered auditory recording from the Primary Ritual Chamber of Canterlot Academy of Magic, Nightwatch investigators have been able to narrow down the majority of the voices to their respective owners.

At the time of this missive both Princesses are still unaccounted for, the survivors of the mystical backlash that occurred within the Chamber have been thoroughly questioned.

Audio Recording begins approximately thirty seven seconds before the explosion:

_Princess Luna: Aegis custodio innocens in nomine Cosmos et domina stellarum._

_Collective Lunarchs & Luminarchs: Per lucem et nocte stare_

_Princess Luna: Aegis custo-_

_*Massive explosion rocks the ritual chamber, yelling and screaming follow for several minutes*_

_Luminarch Runic Cipher: Great Sun! The ritual! The magic! What happened?_

_Luminarch Shimmer Shine: Ether! ETHER WHERE ARE YOU?_

_Lunarch Pearl Sweets: Look! THE PRINCESS!_

_RC: It's… great sun… a rift? Impossible! How did-_

_Princess Luna: MAGI, STAND BY ME, A TRAGEDY HAS STRUCK THE BARRIER IS FAILING._

_SS: ETHER! ETHER ANSWER ME! Oh sun and moon no… No… please no…_

_PS: Shimmer stand up! Please! We need you to help us or the rift will expand!_

_Lunarch Orion Sparkle: Stand up girl, my daughter is at stake here too!_

_Princess Luna: IMPERIUM NIHILUS_

_*A second massive explosion rocks the Academy*_

_OS: Moon preserve us, all of you that still draw breath, help the princess! We must close that rift or it could consume all of Canterlot!_

_RS: I'm with you old moon-dog._

_PS: I'm ready._

_SS: I… For Ether… I'm here._

_OS: Follow my lead-_

_*Audio fails partially as static interferes, the sound of chanting can be heard through static however*_

_SS: -can do this! Orion, we're out matched!_

_PS: Sweet glory… it's coming through…_

_*The following transcript contains a voice whose owner is unknown, the language has been determined to be related distantly to the dialect of the chaos spirits and could only be loosely translated*_

_UNKNOWN ENTITY: DEATH IN SHADOWS CLAIM BY YOUTH AND BROKEN SONGS._

_OS: What is it saying? By the sisters WHAT IS IT?_

_SS: Is that… is it possible? A dae-_

_UNKNOWN ENTITY: DESPERATE FOAL BY GAMBIT THE RUIN OF SORORITY TO BEG A BOON._

_SS: No… it's not… GET OUT OF MY HEAD!_

_UNKNOWN ENTITY: LIFE FROM ENDINGS ALWAYS BY GAMBIT THEE ACHIEVE._

_SS: Oh… oh Ether…_

_OS: NO! DON'T LISTEN TO IT SHIMMER! DON'T LET IT IN! IT WILL-_

_UNKNOWN ENTITY: OLD NIGHT FOAL BECKONS IN COMPLIANCE BY BOON SO PASSED._

_PS: SHIMMER DON'T LIST-_

_*The sound of something breaking and something solid striking the wall with force followed by a liquid sound is heard, the body of Lunarch Pearl Sweets was found partially embedded in the wall of the chamber and her death is the likeliest source.*_

_SS: Pearl… I'm so sorry… Please forgive me_

_OS: I'm sorry, everypony I'm sorry but I must… RUNIC! WITH ME!_

_*The snap of air associated with powerful translocation magic is heard, it is assumed that the ones called Orion Sparkle and Runic Script escaped, their bodies were not among the rest, whereabouts currently unknown.*_

_UNKNOWN ENTITY: PRECIOUS FOAL PROVIDES SWEET LAUGHTER, WATERS OF SADNESS FALL LONESOME, WALK YOU THE PATH OF OLD NIGHT BY SIDE OF ENDLESS LIFE BY BOON WE GRANT?_

_SS: I… can hear you… my head… it hurts… where… why? Ether? Where are you Ether?_

_UNKNOWN ENTITY: BY BOON WE GRANT THE LIFE FROM DEATH ENDLESS SO STIR HE FROM SLEEP FAR._

_SS: Sleep? He's asleep? Wake up Ether… please… wake up…_

_UNKNOWN ENTITY: OLD NIGHT DESCENDS ON BLOODY ROAD, PRECIOUS FOAL AND SLEEPING DEATH RETURN BY SIDE OF ############ TO THE LAND WHERE OLD NIGHT WAITS._

_SS: Wake… there you are Astral…_

_*A roar eclipses all other sound, after thorough cleanup technicians describe sound as being akin to metal grating on metal. No more sound is heard except the roar which lasts for a few seconds before being abruptly cut off. As a side note the voice spoke a word that the audio could not record much less translate. The Nightwatch is currently researching with the remaining Lunarch the possibilities of the Entity's nature.*_


	19. Aftermath Epilogue

The following is a transcript recorded from the care facilities of the Canterlot Military, attending physician Marey Ainsworth present with Captain Iron Rivet after the disastrous results of the first attempt to enter 'Ground Zero'.

Marey Ainsworth: Hello again Mr. Rivet, it's good to see you again.

Iron Rivet: Hello ma'am.

*silence for approx. 1 minute*

MA: -ahem- So tell me, are you sleeping any better?

IR: No.

*Another period of silence*

MA: Are you taking the medications I prescribed to you?

IR: No.

MA: Why is that Mr. Rivet?

*No answer from patient for 1 minute*

MA: Captain?

IR: With all due respect to your profession ma'am, I'm only here to please those uptight folks in processin'. Just sign me off and I'll be outta yer mane ma'am.

MA: I see, well unfortunately I happen to care about the mental welfare of my patients Captain, and you sir are my patient until I say otherwise, now, let's start at the beginning shall we?

IR: I don't want to, I don't have any desire to go over that… I don't want to remember what happened anymore, not with you, not with anypony, y'hear?

MA: Well, I suppose we could spend the next three hours glaring daggers at each other then, but I'm not moving from this couch until you speak to me, you've been stonewalling me for days, living up to your namesake I'd imagine.

IR: *snorts*

MA: We will get to this one day Captain, I'm willing to wait as long as it takes.

IR: …Yeah, I reckon you will at that… Fine.

MA: hmm?

IR: Ah said 'fine', ah'll tell ya what happened.

MA: R-really? I had expected… well, don't let me stall you, please, tell me.

IR: It started like most any other Op ah've done, an' ah've done quite a number, six of us went in, standard recon team fer an urban setting, breaks into two three-pony groups if things go hooves up to mobility. Sergeant Brazen Brass was mah second, goddess rest his bones…

Silence lasts for approximately a minute before the captain continues.

IR: The town was a shell, looked like it'd been bombed out, hadn't seen that kind'o destruction since the Griffin Wars, the buildin's were barely standin', there was ash everywhere like a great fire'd washed through the place, even the air tasted like smoke. Ashes were fallin' from the sky like snowflakes, didn't see nopony as we went in from the north.

MA: There were… no survivors? The town was just… empty?

IR: *snorts* No ma'am, on both counts, no survivors, and… not empty.

MA: What?

IR: There were things… nightmares walkin' like ponies, sometimes we'd see'm, most times not. They was like shadows, ah'm no wizard ma'am but if it was like they wasn't part of our world, like they was slidin' in through cracks for a few seconds and we'd see'm then they'd be gone.

MA: Was it one of those things that…?

IR: No… no it was not, the thing what killed mah men, killed mah best friend…

Subject breaks down for several minutes, hyperventilating and bordering on hysterics before composing himself.

IR: Ma'am, the thing what killed mah men was… was… I mean to say it looked like… a little bit, but there was differences…

MA: Tell me what you saw Captain Rivet, please, I need to know.

IR: She was… looked like she was hurt real bad, her skin all torn up, bleedin' an'…

MA: She? It was a mare?

IR: No… well yes but… ma'am… it was… it looked like the Princess…

Silence for several minutes.

MA: W-what?

IR: I said it wa-

MA: I heard what you said Captain, but do you expect me to believe Princess Celestia murdered your entire squad?

Both ponies silent for a moment before the Captain responds, his voice is low and deadly now.

IR: No ma'am I do not, because that… thing… was not mah Princess, it was a monster, a demon, a nightmare or… somethin', it sure as my dead granpappy's shorts was not. Mah. Princess.

MA: But you said-

IR: Ah know what ah said and ah know what ah saw, that thing, it only looked like her, it changed though… got… bad… evil, all blades and teeth and screamin'… never in my life will ah forget the moment it changed. And ah swear on mah best friends dyin' breath, that ah will never know a peaceful night of sleep ever again with that image on mah eyes. But you hear me missie, if you ever see her, see that wounded thing what looks like our Princess, you call down an artillery strike or you get the flamin' holy buck out of there. Do you hear me? You run!

At this point the Captain loses focus and becomes hysterical.


	20. The Experiment Epilogue

Excerpt from notes found in the ruins of the Ponyville Library

Author: Suspect Zero

"Experiment Notebook: Horn Reconstitution

Day 1:

What I'm doing has never been attempted before. To be fair cases like mine come around maybe once every few centuries and the logs on them are sparse at best. Not much better than hearsay and rumor. I know I slowed her down, a lot actually. If my calculations are correct even the considerable potency of her new 'host body' isn't enough to repair the damage I did. Still, it came at a high price. On the upside, no more headaches.

Alright, diagnosis first: I, hereafter referred to as 'the subject', suffered from magical burnout, a rare condition in which a unicorn exceeds the limit of power their horn can safely channel causing, as far as modern medical arts is concerned, irreparable damage to the crystalline matrix that constitutes the subjects horn.

Possible treatments: Utilizing new alchemical methods discovered in the past century I have devised a treatment that may encourage regeneration of the crystalline matrix. Whether the growth will prove to be stable or not is unknown. Further testing is required.

Initial testing stage: over the next week I will attempt to grow several mystically reactive crystals using variations on a formula I developed, the ones which demonstrate the most stable matrix I will move to the next stage of testing.

Day 4:

Last three days uneventful, have attempted fourteen variations on the formula with no viable results, eyebrows still regrowing from attempt #7.

Day 6:

Finally some results, after twenty failures this latest batch of six variants have yielded four positive results, I think I've hit on a viable template for the next solution, tomorrow will prove whether that is true.

Day 7:

Success! Sort of. One of them exploded. Took out one of my favorite lab tables. But the other three variants on the new formula were surprisingly stable! Beginning the next phase one day behind schedule to scavenge a new table from one of the nearby houses. Moving stuff without telekinesis sucks.

Day 9:

Table successfully installed. New variants growing nicely.

Stage Two of testing consists of finding a matrix structure that demonstrates superior resonance with my own. This would be a lot easier if I still had my magic. Well, no use crying over spilled cider as AJ would say.

It has been theorized more and more lately that a unicorns magic does not originate from anywhere in the horn but in fact from our bodies. All ponies show some kind of magical nature, whether it's the weather manipulation of the pegasi, or the fundamental earth magic present in earth ponies. Neither of which have horns. So if I can devise a solution to draw out the magic inherent in my blood I should be able to test the reactivity of the crystals even without my horn. I'll need to let the matrices grow anyway.

Day 11:

Feeling a little light-headed, probably been drawing more fluid than is necessarily healthy. Ample supplies of food and water remain though.

First two solutions were a bust. Mostly. Solution #2 turned fluorescent puce. I'm not really sure why but it reacted to something so I'm going to proceed from that mixture and see if it leads anywhere.

Day 11 (again):

Solution #2 is not viable as a stable growth catalyst. Onto to something though. Grew the crystal to five times normal size. Probably shouldn't test that one on myself.

Day 14:

After a few days of abject failure I think I've found the key. It seems simple now but isn't that the way of things? I've been treating myself as if I were any other unicorn and while I'd like nothing more than for that to be true the events of the past months have obviously proven otherwise. I reduced the amount of my blood I added to the solution and achieved far more stable results. All of the crystals were malformed unfortunately which I predicted would indicate a lack of resonance. Still, with the solution all but perfected it should only be a matter of time.

Day 20:

My last entry may have been a tad over-optimistic. Almost a full week of failure. Still, I've made some progress finally. One of the matrices has shown marked improvement, it's just a matter of fine-tuning the growth of the matrix itself until it achieves maximum resonance.

Day 21:

This report is unrelated to my experiments but I felt I should note it down here anyway. I was returning from a supply run down to the Cafe when I saw something. It looked like my teacher. Except it wasn't I know because I've seen that kind of thing before. It wasn't her. Just like Duplicity wasn't Applejack, and Contempt wasn't Fluttershy. There were other ponies two, they looked like special forces from Canterlot. Dear goddess, what that thing did to them, it didn't just kill them, it took its time. It enjoyed it. I hurled a rock at it just as it was gearing up to finish them all, I think one of them got away but it almost saw me. I barely escaped. I need to be more careful.

Day 24:

SUCCESS! Using a fragment of what's left of my horn and adding it to the growth I was able to encourage the matrix to grow along preset parameters, I don't know why I didn't think of it before. With the liberal application of my solution I've managed to grown a crystal that has achieved what I believe to be maximum resonant capability. I'm going to test a few other patterns to make sure but I think I've done it!

Day 25:

If the goddess wills it this will be my last entry. I'm going to test my the solution on myself now, after nearly a month of solid work I might finally have my horn back. Goddess protect and forgive me.


End file.
